Bolsonaro leads Lula by 2 points in final Brazil election polls

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has taken a narrow lead over President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the final opinion polls ahead of Sunday's presidential runoff, according to two surveys published on Saturday by the Datafolha institute and Quaest.

Both polls put Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, at 51% of voter intentions, compared with 49% for Lula. The two-point gap falls within the surveys' margins of error, leaving the candidates in a statistical tie, AFP reports.

Bolsonaro emerged as the narrow favourite after securing 47% of the vote in the first round, ahead of Lula's 45%.

The latest findings mark a setback for Lula, whose campaign had regained momentum following the first-round result through large public rallies and an intensive digital campaign.

Final debate focuses on policy

The two candidates faced off in their final televised debate on Friday, focusing largely on policy proposals. Their first debate had quickly descended into exchanges of personal insults.

The timing of the final polls leaves some uncertainty over whether the debate influenced voters' preferences.

Datafolha conducted its survey between Thursday and Friday but did not specify whether interviews took place after the debate. Quaest surveyed voters between Friday and Saturday, as both campaigns held large rallies in a final push to attract support.

Pollsters failed to predict first-round result

Most opinion polls had projected a narrow victory for Lula in the first round, but Bolsonaro's stronger-than-expected performance upended those forecasts.

No candidate who lost the first round has gone on to win the runoff in Brazil's democratic history, according to AFP, adding another historical dimension to Lula's bid for re-election.

Despite Bolsonaro's lead in the latest surveys, the narrow margin means the final outcome remains uncertain as voters prepare to choose between the two candidates.