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Brazil's Lula gains ground on Flavio Bolsonaro ahead of presidential vote, poll shows

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SAO PAULO, July 15 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula ​da Silva has widened his lead ‌over right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in the run-up to October's presidential election, a Quaest poll commissioned ​by brokerage Genial showed on Wednesday.

It ​is the first Quaest survey following a ⁠series of political developments including a corruption ​investigation targeting a senior Lula ally and arguments ​about accountability over new U.S. tariff threats against Brazil.

Leftist Lula is seen with 45% of voting intentions in ​a potential second-round runoff, compared with 37% ​for Senator Bolsonaro, currently the main opposition hopeful.

A Quaest poll ‌in ⁠June showed Lula leading Flavio Bolsonaro by 44% to 38%.

In a first-round scenario, Lula would take 40%, Bolsonaro 28%, Ronaldo Caiado ​4%, Renan ​Santos 3% ⁠and Romeu Zema 2%.

In Brazil, if no candidate gets more than ​50% of valid votes, the two ​frontrunners ⁠go to a second-round vote.

Quaest surveyed 2,004 people between July 10 and 13. The poll has a margin ⁠of ​error of two percentage points ​in either direction.

Reporting by Michael Susin and Isabel Teles; ​Writing by Victoria Pacheco; Editing by Andrew Heavens