FILE PHOTO: Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during an event with members of political parties and social movements in Porto Alegre, Brazil June 1, 2022. REUTERS/Diego Vara/
SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is retaining his lead over incumbent Jair Bolsonaro ahead of Brazil's October presidential election, according to a Datafolha opinion poll released on Thursday.
Lula drew 47% support in the opinion poll against Bolsonaro's 28%. In May, Lula's lead was 48% to 27%.
The polling results suggest time is running out for other candidates hoping to make it a three-way race. While leftist former state governor Ciro Gomes gained 1 percentage point from the last poll, he had the support of just 8% of voters polled.
In a potential second-round runoff between the rivals, leftist leader Lula now has a 23 percentage-point lead over right wing Bolsonaro, down from 25 points in May, the survey showed.
This week, Lula presented an official government plan outlining priorities if elected, including a new fuel pricing policy, removing a cap on government spending, and dramatically reining in deforestation.
Lula welcomed Thursday's poll results on Twitter, saying that despite a month of "TV advertising and a flood of fake news on the internet," Brazilian people showed they want to "get rid" of the current government.
Bolsonaro's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Datafolha interviewed 2,556 Brazilians of voting age (16 years) on Wednesday and Thursday. The poll has a margin of error of 2 percentage points up or down.
(Reporting by Peter Frontini and Carolina Pulice; Editing by David Gregorio and Grant McCool)
