Lula and Bolsonaro Neck-and-Neck in Brazil's Presidential Polls

Brazil's political landscape is heating up as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro are neck-and-neck in a simulated runoff, a BTG Pactual/Nexus poll revealed on Monday. With Lula at 46% and Bolsonaro at 45%, the competitive race promises to be a nail-biter.

The latest survey mirrors the results from March, when the two candidates were tied at 46%. First-round projections show Lula leading with 41% and Bolsonaro trailing with 36% to 38%, depending on other candidates' influence.

As no candidate has crossed the 50% threshold required to avoid a second-round vote—a scenario consistent since 2002—markets and political analysts are closely monitoring polls. The survey, conducted with 2,028 people, has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

(With inputs from agencies.)