Brazil’s Rousseff ahead of rival in polls

Two new opinion polls show that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has gained ground over opposition candidate Aecio Neves ahead of the October 26 runoff presidential election.

The latest opinion polls by Brazil’s major polling firms, Ibope and Datafolha, on Thursday put Rousseff at a clear lead of between six to eight percentage points over Neves.

According to the statistics released by Ibope, the incumbent president has 49 percent of voter support while her rival has 41 percent.

The other polling center, Datafolha, gave the lead to Rousseff with 48 percent of the vote versus 42 percent for Neves.

An earlier survey conducted by the research firm Vox Populi indicated that support for Rousseff stood at 45 percent compared to 44 percent for Neves.

Pro-business Neves has gained ground since his surprise performance in the first round, when he finished second ahead of popular environmentalist Marina Silva and behind Rousseff.

On October 12, Neves secured Silva’s endorsement, enhancing his chances in the October 26 election.

Meanwhile, recent allegations of bribery involving Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras and top government officials are likely to adversely affect Rousseff’s runoff campaign.

IA/HJL/MHB