Flávio Bolsonaro holds a narrow lead over Lula da Silva in the main polls ahead of the runoff election in Brazil

Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro will face off head-to-head in Brazil's runoff election Flávio Bolsonaro arrives with a numerical advantage of one to two points over Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the latest polls ahead of Brazil's presidential runoff, although all surveys released Saturday night place the contest within their respective margins of error. The senator and candidate of the Liberal Party (PL) receives 51% of valid votes compared to 49% for the president and candidate of the Workers' Party (PT), according to Datafolha projections. The result amounts to a technical tie, given that the poll has a margin of error of two percentage points. Datafolha's data, which includes blank votes, null votes and abstentions, assign 48% of voting intentions to Flávio Bolsonaro and 47% to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Some 3% of those surveyed said they will cast a null vote and another 2% have not yet decided their choice. The firm interviewed 4,050 voters in person between Friday and Saturday, the last day of campaigning. In its previous poll, released Thursday, both candidates each had 50% of valid votes. Quaest's poll also shows the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro ahead, with 46% of preferences compared to Lula's 45%. The difference remains unchanged from the poll that firm released Wednesday, within a margin of error of two points. Datafolha's data, which includes blank votes, null votes and abstentions, assign 48% of voting intentions to Flávio Bolsonaro and 47% to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (REUTERS) Quaest consulted 3,702 people during the same period. Its estimate of 46% for Bolsonaro and 45% for Lula holds the one-point gap it already recorded on Wednesday. The CNT/MDA poll, based on 2,032 interviews conducted between October 21 and 23, gives the senator 46.3% and the president 45%. Its margin of error is 2.2 percentage points. Meanwhile, AtlasIntel/Bloomberg projects 49.9% for Bolsonaro and 48.4% for Lula. The survey included 4,990 people between October 18 and 23 and has a margin of error of one percentage point. The BTG/Nexus poll, with 2,000 respondents between October 23 and 24, places the PL candidate at 47% and the president at 46%. The reported margin of error is 2.2 points. The runoff takes place after Bolsonaro led the first round on October 4 with 47% of the votes. Lula obtained 45%, a two-percentage-point gap between the two most-voted candidates. In absolute numbers, the difference was 2.2 million votes out of an electorate of 158.7 million voters. The result opened a close contest to define the Presidency of Brazil. Lula da Silva led a massive rally in Rio one day before Brazil's runoff (REUTERS) Since the end of the military dictatorship, from 1964 to 1985, the country has held nine presidential elections. In none of them did a candidate who finished second in the first round reverse the result in the runoff. Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive presidential term. The PT leader changed his strategy after the first round, with a greater presence on social media and street rallies. The president's campaign has also focused on the corruption suspicions and alleged ties to organized crime weighing on Bolsonaro. The senator, for his part, has presented a more moderate campaign image and used concepts such as "future," "prosperity" and "change" in his discourse. He has also committed to excluding the "neediest families" from his fiscal austerity plan. (With information from REUTERS and AFP)