The World Cup has boosted the standing of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff as she targets re-election in October, a poll showed today.
Leftist Rousseff gained four points over the past month to stand at 38 per cent of voter support, a Datafolha poll for Folha de Sao Paulo daily showed,
Main opposition candidate Aecio Neves had 20 per cent of voter intentions, up from 19 in June, while support for socialist Eduardo Campos and ecologist running mate Marina Silva rose from seven to nine per cent.
Rousseff, a 66-year-old former urban guerrilla from the Workers Party (PT) had lost three points between May and June as the World Cup approached amid a climate of tension stemming from opposition to the cost of the event and late-running preparations.
Even so, she has consistently held a strong lead over her rivals and is favorite to win the election, albeit in a second round run-off.
The latest poll showed World Cup support has been rising across the event, which kicked off June 12 and has been widely judged a success so far.
Support rose from 51 per cent in early June to 63 per cent now, according to Datafolha.
Furthermore, 76 per cent of respondents condemned the insults that thousands of fans hurled at Rousseff at the opening match in Sao Paulo.
Brazil has been the scene of dozens of protests over the past 12 months with many citizens aghast at the USD 11 billion cost of the World Cup.
Protesters complain the cash would have been better spent on modernizing poor public facilities such as health, transport and education.
However, protests during the tournament have been sporadic and mainly on a small scale.
Rousseff said on Monday the country had scored a large victory over those who warned the World Cup would be plagued by unrest, chaos or crime.
"We beat the pessimists, the people who were predicting chaos, and the Cup is a success across Brazil," Rousseff said.
For Folha, "the World Cup has changed Brazilians' attitudes, benefiting President Dilma Rousseff in her race for re-election."
The latest poll was based on a sample of 2,857 people interviewed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
