Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro holds a narrow lead over incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of the country's October 25 presidential runoff, although his advantage has diminished over the past week, according to a Datafolha survey released Thursday and quoted by Reuters.
The latest poll places Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, at 47% support, compared with 45% for Lula.
A previous Datafolha survey conducted last week gave Bolsonaro a four-percentage-point advantage, with 49% supporting the senator and 45% backing the incumbent president.
Thursday's findings also showed that 6% of respondents intended to cast blank ballots, while another 2% remained undecided.
When only valid votes are counted, excluding blank ballots and undecided respondents, Bolsonaro receives 51% support against Lula's 49%.
The two candidates advanced to the October 25 runoff after Bolsonaro finished ahead of Lula in the first round earlier this month. Neither candidate secured the majority of more than 50% required to win the presidency outright.
Beyond their domestic political differences, Bolsonaro and Lula have taken sharply contrasting positions toward Israel.
Like his father, Flavio Bolsonaro has made support for the Jewish state a prominent part of his political identity.
During a visit to Israel in January, the senator toured the Western Wall and sites in Judea and Samaria, and promised to relocate Brazil's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem if elected president.
“It is an honor to defend Judeo-Christian values and to show the Jewish people that the Brazilian people support them," he said during the visit.
His father also maintained a strongly pro-Israel position throughout his political career and visited the Jewish state in March 2019.
Members of the Bolsonaro family have previously appeared wearing shirts associated with the IDF and the Mossad, while Israeli flags have regularly been displayed at rallies supporting the former president.
Lula, by contrast, has faced criticism over his statements concerning Israel's military operations against Hamas in Gaza.
The Brazilian president previously compared Israel's actions in Gaza to Adolf Hitler's persecution of Jews during World War II, triggering a diplomatic confrontation between Brazil and Israel.
During the dispute, Brazil announced that it was recalling its ambassador to Israel and summoning the Israeli ambassador for a reprimand.
Lula subsequently reiterated his accusations against Israel despite the criticism his remarks had generated.
“What the Israeli government is doing is not war, it is genocide. Children and women are being murdered," he wrote on social media.