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Former army captain Jair Bolsonaro speaks nostalgically of Brazil’s 1964-85 military rule and was nearly killed in a stabbing earlier in his campaign.

He has taken the lead over his rival Fernando Haddad by eleven points, as a poll by Datafolha puts Mr Bolsonaro at 32 percent support of the vote compared to 21 percent for Mr Haddad.

Datafolha surveyed 3,240 voters across Brazil on Monday and Tuesday. The poll’s margin of error is two percentage points.

The right-winger’s chances have been massively helped amid corruption allegations eroding support for his left-wing main rival.