New Poll: Lula Leads First Round, Ties With Flávio in Runoff
Listen to the story
A new opinion poll from BTG/Nexus has shown changes in Brazil's presidential race.
According to the poll, Lula's support is rising, and he now leads in the first round of voting.
The first round is the initial election vote, where several candidates compete.
If no candidate wins enough votes in the first round, the top two candidates go to a second round, or runoff.
The poll shows that in a possible second round, Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro are tied.
This means they have the same level of support among voters.
Flávio Bolsonaro is a well-known politician from Rio de Janeiro state.
Another survey, called Real Time Big Data, looked closely at the race between Lula and Flávio in Rio de Janeiro.
A separate poll from Datafolha gave numbers for presidential candidates in several Brazilian states.
These included São Paulo (SP), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Minas Gerais (MG), Pernambuco (PE), and the Federal District (DF).
Together, the polls give a picture of how Brazilians feel about the candidates before the 2026 election.
The final results will depend on the actual vote, but early polls like these help show current trends.
Vocabulary6 words
- opinion poll
- a survey that asks people what they think about something
- first round
- the first stage of voting in an election
- election
- the process of choosing a leader by voting
- second round
- a later vote between the top two candidates
- runoff
- another word for a second round of voting
- tied
- having equal results or support
Quiz
Answer key
1. Lula's support is rising and he now leads the first round 2. They have the same amount of support in the poll 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
A new _____ from BTG/Nexus has shown changes in Brazil's presidential race.
According to the poll, Lula's support is rising, and he now leads in the _____ of voting.
If no candidate wins enough votes in the first round, the top two candidates go to a _____, or runoff.
The poll shows that in a possible second round, Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro are _____.
This means they have the same level of _____ among voters.
Flávio Bolsonaro is a well-known _____ from Rio de Janeiro state.
Another survey, called Real Time Big Data, looked closely at the race between Lula and Flávio in _____.
A separate poll from Datafolha gave numbers for presidential candidates in several Brazilian _____.
These included São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, and the Federal _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think opinion polls are important before an election?
- What could explain why Lula's support is rising, based on the summary?
- Why might results differ between a first round and a second round of voting?
- Do you trust opinion polls to predict election results? Why or why not?