Poll: Most Brazilians Want Lula Arrested

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the frontrunner for October's presidential election. However, Lula as he is known, faces 12 years in prison on corruption and money laundering charges with his fate due to be decided by judicial decision on Wednesday. The stakes are high in a country that's already bitterly divided - if Lula walks free, his opponents will claim corruption while if he's jailed, his supporters will claim he was persecuted.

Given the gravity of the situation, what does the Brazilian public actually think about Lula? According to polling conducted by Datafolha and published by website Veja, a majority of Brazilians want to see the former president jailed. The research found 53 percent of those polled favor him being arrested while 44 percent are opposed. When it comes to the question of whether he should be allowed to run in the election, a majority of 51 percent also say no.