Brazil polling firms among big losers in first-round election

FILE PHOTO: Supporters of former President and presidential candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gather after polling stations were closed in the presidential election, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, October 2, 2022. REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo

BRASILIA (Reuters) -The first round of Brazil's presidential election has come and gone with no final victor, but some big losers have emerged: opinion pollsters.

Surveys in Brazil had leftist challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva up anywhere from 7 to 17 percentage points over right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro in the weeks leading up to the election, with some suggesting he could reach the 50% threshold in Sunday's vote needed to avoid a runoff on Oct. 30.