Incumbent President Dilma Rousseff pulled ahead again in a new poll ahead of Brazil’s presidential election and she appears to be the favorite to win Sunday’s runoff although the vote is still too close to call.
The Datafolha poll, released on Wednesday, was the fourth in three days to show that Rousseff is numerically in front of her rival Aecio Neves, according to Reuters.
In the new survey, Rousseff’s share of voter support has risen to 47 percent, from 46 percent in the previous Datafolha poll published on Monday. Support for Neves was unchanged at 43 percent.
While Rousseff has widened her numerical lead to four percentage points, the difference between them is still within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Excluding undecided voters, spoiled and blank survey responses, Rousseff has 52 percent against 48 percent for Neves, the poll showed, the same result as in Monday’s poll.
Rousseff has gained ground despite a barrage of criticism from Neves who accuses her of mismanaging the economy and being responsible for a corruption scandal at Brazil’s largest company, state-run oil producer Petroleo Brasileiro.
Rousseff’s re-election chances could gain further steam in the final days with the return to the campaign trail of Brazil’s most popular politician, her mentor and predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, founder of the ruling Workers’ Party.
Rousseff is vowing to expand social programs that reduced poverty and inequality during 12 years of Workers’ Party rule.
Neves has promised to jumpstart an economy that slipped into recession in the first half of this year. He says he would restore confidence in Brazil by taming inflation, curbing government expenditure and ending heavy-handed policies that have stifled investment.
Rousseff has said that Neves’ policies will lead to unemployment and the rolling back of social programs, a warning that appears to have convinced many voters to give her another four years.
