Rousseff's vote support for runoff up 1%

A survey by pollster Datafolha released today (Oct 22) shows presidential candidate and incumbent Dilma Rousseff (of the Workers' Party, PT) with 47% if vote support. Aécio Neves (of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party, PSDB) is shown with 43%. Considering the margin of error—plus or minus two percentage points—both remain statistically tied. In the previous opinion poll, Rousseff was reported with 46%, against Neves's 43%.

Blank and spoiled ballots total 6%, and the undecided amount to 4%. Counting valid votes only—i.e. those who show a voter's decision for one of the two candidates—the incumbent garners 52% of voting intentions, against her rival's 48%, which is also considered a technical tie. In the previous poll, the rates were the same—52% and 48%, respectively.

The study indicates an increase in the population's interest in the dispute: 50% of respondents say they are interested in the elections. At the end of August, this figure was 39%.

Commissioned by the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, Datafolha's survey heard 4,355 electors on Tuesday (21), in 256 Brazilian municipalities.

The second-round of Brazil’s elections is to be held next Sunday (26).

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira