RIO DE JANEIRO, July 10 (NNN-XINHUA) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took the lead in the latest survey months ahead of the Oct. 1 general elections.

According to the Datafolha survey published on Sunday, Lula's ruling
left-wing Workers Party would win 45 per cent of the vote if the elections
were held on the day of the survey, while his closest rival, Geraldo
Alckmin, who heads the Social Democracy Party, would win 29 per cent.

The survey, which was conducted at the end of last month, targeted
Brazil's 126 million registered voters. It questioned more than 2,800 people about their income, consumption, housing, assets, schooling and how they perceived their economic condition.

At least 6.0 million former poor people have now found themselves in
the rank of middle class under the leadership of Lula, the survey said.
Forty-nine per cent of voters felt financially better off than four
years ago and 37 per cent said they are consuming more, it said.

The rich have benefited even more: the top 10 percent earned 66 per
cent more under Lula, thanks to sky-high interest rates of 15.25 per cent, the survey showed.

The poor are strong supporters of Lula, a former shoeshine boy and
grade-school dropout from Brazil's impoverished Northeast. Lula became a factory worker and labour union leader before entering politics.