By Ben Tavener
SAO PAULO
Two new election polls published Thursday have given Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff a clear lead over rival candidate Aécio Neves for the first time in the second-round campaign.
Previous polls have seen Rousseff, who is vying for re-election as candidate for the leftist Workers' Party, numerically overtake Neves, of the center-right Brazilian Social Democracy Party, who had been leading. Those results, however, were all within the surveys' margins of error.
Now, a Datafolha poll of 9,910 eligible voters conducted Oct. 22-23 has given Rousseff a clear, six-point lead over Neves, with Rousseff taking 53 percent of valid votes, and Neves - the market favorite - 47 percent.
An Ibope survey of 3,010 voters on Oct. 20-22 gave Rousseff an even bigger eight-point lead, with Rousseff garnering 54 percent of valid votes; Neves had 46 percent.
These results discount undecided voters and those who said they would cast a void or blank ballot - which together totaled 10 percent in both polls.
The Datafolha poll also showed that the approval rating for Rousseff's government had increased from 42 to 44 percent, which is its best result since mass anti-government protests in June 2013. The demonstrations saw more than 1 million Brazilians take to the streets to voice a long list of grievances, from substandard public services to political corruption.
In the first-round vote Oct. 5, Rousseff took 41.6 percent of votes, and Neves - 33.6 percent, sparking a runoff as no candidate exceeded 50 percent.
Brazilians head back to the polls Sunday, Oct. 26, with 142.8 million people eligible vote. Those aged between 18 and 70 are obligated to vote, but it is optional for 16- and 17-year-olds and those 70 and older.
Voters in 13 states and the Federal District will also vote for a state governor, choosing between the two top vote-getters from Oct. 5.
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