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Lula Reaches 43% in Brazilian Election
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Electoral support for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva increased this month in Brazil, according to a poll by Datafolha published in Folha de Sao Paulo. 43 per cent of respondents would back the Worker's Party (PT) member in the first round of this year's ballot, up three points since early April.
Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin of the Brazilian Party of Social Democracy (PSDB) is second with 21 per cent, followed by Anthony Garotinho of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) with seven per cent, and former PT member and senator Heloisa Helena of the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) with six per cent.
Support is lower for Eneas Carneiro of the Party of the Reconstruction of the National Order (PRONA), Roberto Freire of the Socialist People's Party (PPS), former education minister Cristovam Buarque of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT) and Jose Maria Eymael of the Social Democratic Christian Party (PSDC).
Lula—a three-time presidential candidate—won the October 2002 election with 61 per cent of the vote in a run-off against the PSDB's Jose Serra. In the first round, Lula received 47 per cent of the vote, while Serra garnered 24 per cent. In a prospective run-off against Alckmin, Lula holds a 17-point advantage.
Last year, the Brazilian government was the target of criticism after Brazilian Labour Party (PTB) member Roberto Jefferson declared that members of two political organizations—the Liberal Party (PL) and the Progressive Party (PP)—received payments of up to $12,000 U.S. from the government in exchange for support in the legislative branch. Jefferson has so far provided no evidence to back his allegations.
On May 23, Lula predicted that Brazil would become "the biggest energy player in the planet," adding, "We have become self-sufficient, in two years we will produce most of the natural gas we consume, and we are the most competitive nation in the areas of ethanol and bio-diesel."
The presidential election is scheduled for Oct. 1. If no candidate garners more than 50 per cent of all cast ballots, a run-off will take place on Oct. 29.
Polling Data
If the 2006 presidential election took place today, and the candidates were these, who would you vote for?
May 24 | Apr. 7 | Mar. 17 | |
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) | 43% | 40% | 42% |
Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB) | 21% | 20% | 23% |
Anthony Garotinho (PMDB) | 7% | 15% | 12% |
Heloisa Helena (PSOL) | 6% | 5% | 6% |
Eneas Carneiro (PRONA) | 3% | 3% | -- |
Roberto Freire (PPS) | 1% | 1% | 3% |
Cristovam Buarque (PDT) | 1% | 1% | 1% |
Jose Maria Eymael (PSDC) | 1% | 1% | -- |
Run-Off Scenario
May 24 | Apr. 7 | Mar. 17 | |
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) | 52% | 52% | 50% |
Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB) | 35% | 37% | 38% |
Source: Datafolha / Folha de Sao Paulo
Methodology: Interviews with 6,000 Brazilian adults, conducted on May 23 and May 24, 2006. Margin of error is 2 per cent.