Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday made his last free televised campaign speech ahead of the Oct. 1 presidential election by emphasizing the grassroots character of his government.

Calling for a peaceful election, Lula said Brazil was now very different, as "never before has there been such a good combination of social and economic factors."

Appearing in his official residence and set against a background of images of a working class festival and pictures of his party colleagues shaking hands, he admitted both successes and mistakes during his soon-to-end term.

"My errors have shown me which way I should not go, and the successes have shown me how to move forward in a different, better way," he said.

An opinion poll published on Wednesday night showed that 53 percent of people surveyed supported Lula's re-election bid despite a scandal over his alleged role in smearing an opposition politician.

The poll, which interviewed 7,528 people in 368 municipalities, also showed his closest rival, Social Democratic Party candidate Geraldo Alckmin, received 35 percent of the vote.

As the incumbent president's votes outnumber the total votes for the other candidates combined, the poll showed that Lula was set to be reelected in the first round of voting on Oct. 1.

By law, a candidate has to gain more than 50 percent of the valid vote for an outright victory in the election.

The survey indicated that Lula's approval rating had witnessed a slight slip after the scandal emerged last week. The president has replaced his campaign manager and a security aide in a bid to defend himself. The country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal has launched an investigation into the scandal.

If the president is found guilty, he, together with his running partner, Vice President Jose Alencar, will be barred from standing in the election, according to an earlier statement on the court's website.

However, the investigation is unlikely to be closed before the poll. If Lula is re-elected but later found guilty, he could still lose his presidency, making the runner-up in the election the Brazilian president.

(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2006)