Rousseff Increases Lead in Presidential Elections: Daily

By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The latest Datafolha Institute poll, shows President Dilma Rousseff with a wider lead over second-placed candidate Marina Silva, less than two weeks before the October 5th Presidential elections in Brazil. The poll released on Friday shows President Rousseff of the PT (Workers Party) with 37 percent of voter intention.

At the same time, Marina Silva of the PSB (Socialist Party) has thirty percent of voter intention and third-place candidate Aecio Neves of the PSDB (Social Democracy Party) has fifteen percent of the votes.

According to Datafolha, “the candidate Dilma Rousseff has opened up a lead over Marina Silva for the first time since the announcement of the former senator in the Presidential race, in the second half of August.”

The latest poll shows that the incumbent President’s advantage over the second-placed Silva increased from three to seven points. Marina Silva became the PSB’s candidate after the death of Eduardo Campos in an airplane accident. Silva had been Campos’ running mate for the October elections.

In the previous survey by the Institute Rousseff held 36 percent of voter intention, Silva 33 percent and Neves fifteen percent. According to most political analysts a second round of elections, scheduled for October 26th is likely to be between Rousseff and Silva.

Although Rousseff is in first place in voter intention, the survey also shows the incumbent as having the highest rejection rate: 33 percent. The survey also points to a rejection rate of 22 percent for Silva and 21 percent for Neves.

Read more (in Portuguese).

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