Summary Bestselling author Augusto Cury has surged to third place in Brazil’s presidential polls, challenging the Lula-Bolsonaro dominated political landscape.
SAO PAULO (Web Desk) - Augusto Cury, a psychiatrist and bestselling author with no previous experience in elected office, has emerged as a surprise contender in Brazil’s presidential race, challenging a contest long dominated by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.
Cury, 67, has gained momentum following recent television appearances and a strong social media presence, with his support rising sharply in recent opinion polls ahead of the October election.
In first-round scenarios released on Monday, Cury ranked third. A Nexus poll commissioned by lender BTG Pactual showed him receiving 11% support, up from 2% previously. An AtlasIntel/Bloomberg poll placed his support at 7.8%, compared with 1.6% in an earlier survey.
The rise represents a notable shift in a presidential race largely shaped by the rivalry between Lula’s left-wing camp and Bolsonaro’s right-wing movement. Cury is running under the ticket of the little-known Avante party and has presented himself as an alternative to Brazil’s entrenched political polarization.
His growing support could alter the campaign’s dynamics in the weeks ahead and put additional pressure on the leading candidates to respond to voters seeking an alternative to the country’s longstanding left-right divide.
Analysts, however, have cautioned that it remains too early to determine whether Cury’s surge will last, particularly as the opposition vote remains fragmented.
The Nexus poll showed Lula leading Flavio Bolsonaro 39% to 33% in a potential first-round scenario, while the AtlasIntel survey put Lula at 43.4% and Bolsonaro at 33.7%.
Under Brazil’s electoral system, if no candidate wins more than 50% of valid votes in the first round, the two candidates receiving the highest vote shares advance to a runoff.
Eurasia Group said an alternative conservative candidate would need to gain significantly more support to seriously challenge Bolsonaro, estimating that such a candidate would need to reach around 15% by mid-September while Bolsonaro falls to approximately 25% to make a credible case for strategic voting against Lula.
Cury has deliberately avoided aligning himself with either the political left or right. Instead, he is campaigning under the slogan “Centered on what matters,” seeking to attract voters dissatisfied with the country’s deep political polarization.
