New Polls Show Close Race Between Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula
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Three new election polls were released in Brazil on Friday, showing a close race ahead of a possible runoff vote.
The first poll, from RealTime Big Data, shows Flávio Bolsonaro with 52% of the valid votes and Lula with 48%, in a scenario for a second round.
A second round takes place when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first round of voting.
Another poll, from Datafolha, one of Brazil's most respected polling institutes, gives Flávio Bolsonaro 47% and Lula 46% in the same second-round scenario.
These numbers suggest the race between the two candidates is extremely tight, with results from different polls varying slightly.
Flávio Bolsonaro is a senator and the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has been a major figure on the Brazilian right.
Lula, whose full name is Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is a former president who has previously led Brazil and remains a central figure for the left.
The 2026 presidential election will determine who leads Brazil next, and polls like these help track public opinion before voting day.
Margin of error and sampling methods can affect the exact figures that each institute reports, which is why results differ slightly between polls.
Analysts say the race could still change as more surveys are published closer to the election.
Both campaigns are expected to use these results to adjust their strategies in the final weeks before the vote.
Vocabulary10 words
- poll
- a study asking people how they will vote
- valid votes
- votes counted as correct, not including blank or spoiled ones
- second round
- a run-off vote between the top two candidates
- polling institute
- a company that researches public opinion
- senator
- a member of the upper house of parliament
- margin of error
- the possible small difference between a poll result and reality
- scenario
- a possible situation that could happen
- campaign
- organised effort to win an election
- majority
- more than half of the total
- runoff
- a final vote between the two strongest candidates
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Flávio Bolsonaro 52%, Lula 48% 2. Because of differences in sampling and margin of error 3. False
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Three new election _____ were released in Brazil on Friday.
The first poll, from RealTime Big Data, shows Flávio Bolsonaro with 52% of the valid _____.
A second round takes place when no candidate wins a _____ in the first round.
Another poll, from _____, gives Flávio Bolsonaro 47% and Lula 46%.
These numbers suggest the race between the two _____ is extremely tight.
Flávio Bolsonaro is a _____ and the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula is a former _____ who has previously led Brazil.
The 2026 presidential election will determine who _____ Brazil next.
_____ and sampling methods can affect the exact figures each institute reports.
Both _____ are expected to use these results to adjust their strategies.
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