Lula da Silva confident of winning Brazilian elections in first round

Brazil’s former president and presidential candidate for the October general elections, socialist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said he is confident of winning the elections in the first round.

In a message posted on social media, Lula da Silva addressed the undecideds and voters of the leftist parties, asking for the useful vote that would allow him to reach half plus one of the votes and win in the first round without having to go to a runoff.

“If those who have five percent (of the vote in the polls) dream of reaching 40 percent, why can’t those who have more than 40 percent dream of having a little more and winning in the first round?” the Workers’ Party candidate said.

Lula da Silva, the nearly 77-year-old Brazilian president from 2003 to 2010, is the favorite to win the election, according to all polls, even though he would not win a majority in the first round and would have to go to a runoff.

According to an Ipec Institute poll released yesterday, Lula da Silva would receive 44 percent of the vote in the first round, while Bolsonaro would come in at 31 percent.

In the second round, Lula da Silva would win with 52 percent, while Bolsonaro would come in at 36 percent.

The message released by Lula da Silva on Tuesday was interpreted as a hint to voters of Ciro Gomes, the third-place finisher (7 percent) and third-strongest candidate in the 2018 presidential election, who is running for the Democratic Workers Party and whose candidacy has prevented the former president from gaining the support of all major progressive forces in Brazil.

“They say that if we dream together, we can make dreams come true. I am convinced that if we continue as we are, we can win the first round,” the former president added, reiterating his confidence that he can avoid a second round.

The first round of Brazil’s elections is set for Sunday, Oct. 2.

If no candidate receives half plus one vote, a second round will be held on Oct. 30.