Lula retains lead over Bolsonaro in Brazil opinion poll ahead of election

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is retaining his lead over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro ahead of Brazil’s October presidential election, according to a Datafolha opinion poll released on Thursday.

Lula drew 47% support in the opinion poll against Bolsonaro’s 28%. In May, Lula’s lead was 48% to 27%.

The polling results suggest time is running out for other candidates hoping to make it a three-way race. While leftist former state governor Ciro Gomes gained 1 percentage point from the last poll, he had the support of just 8% of voters polled.

In a potential second-round runoff between the rivals, leftist leader Lula now has a 23 percentage-point lead over right wing Bolsonaro, down from 25 points in May, the survey showed.

This week, Lula presented an official government plan outlining priorities if elected, including a new fuel pricing policy, removing a cap on government spending, and dramatically reining in deforestation.

Lula welcomed Thursday’s poll results on Twitter, saying that despite a month of “TV advertising and a flood of fake news on the internet,” Brazilian people showed they want to “get rid” of the current government.

Bolsonaro’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Datafolha interviewed 2,556 Brazilians of voting age (16 years) on Wednesday and Thursday. The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points up or down.

(Reporting by Peter Frontini and Carolina Pulice; Editing by David Gregorio and Grant McCool)