South Americaupdated 2h ago2 min read
Lula And Flavio Bolsonaro Trade Insults In Brazil Run-Off Debate Ahead Of October 25 Vote
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro clashed in the first run-off debate, trading personal attacks. They accused each other of lying and corruption, clashing over economy, security, healthcare.
First debate turns personal
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro traded personal attacks in their first presidential run-off debate on Sunday, a week before the October 25 vote.
Bolsonaro, 45, called Lula “a habitual liar, a thug” and “a militiaman,” while Lula said Bolsonaro was “a habitual liar” and a “thug” and physically distanced himself on stage from the candidate he called a “militiaman”.
Bolsonaro paced behind Lula, shaking his head, smirking and scoffing as Lula demanded an explanation regarding a corruption investigation involving the older Bolsonaro, a question his opponent dodged.
Bolsonaro led the first-round election with 47 percent to Lula’s 45 percent, and the debate clashed over public security, healthcare, and corruption as both men sparred over Brazil’s ties to the United States.
Lula also challenged Bolsonaro over Bolsonaro’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Bolsonaro admitted that this “wasn’t an area where we saw the best results during Bolsonaro’s presidency. I’ll offer a mea culpa here.”
Supporters flood major cities
Supporters of both candidates gathered en masse in public ahead of the debate, with Pro-Bolsonaro crowds wearing Brazil’s national colours of yellow, green and blue packing Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo’s financial centre.
Lula supporters wearing red, symbolic of his Workers’ Party, filled Brasilia’s plaza of government buildings, while students backing the president protested against Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro.
Lula supporter Sonia Maria said, “We need the current government to remain in power. If another government comes in, we’re, excuse my language, screwed,” as Bolsonaro backer Vera de Sousa said, “I don’t like bandits. Out with Lula!”
Brazil’s federal police asked the country’s Supreme Court to open an investigation into Bolsonaro over a money laundering accusation involving a lawyer close to him, and the presidential candidate was already under investigation for his links to Daniel Vorcaro.
The debate came as polls suggested a close race for the October 25 run-off, with Flavio Bolsonaro holding a slight advantage after finishing nearly 2 percentage points ahead of Lula in the first round on October 4.
Run-off stakes and next steps
Lula and Bolsonaro clashed over the economy, with Bolsonaro accusing Lula of “reckless spending to get re-elected” and Lula countering by asking Bolsonaro about plans to emulate Argentina’s right-wing president Javier Milei.
Bolsonaro dodged Lula’s question and pivoted to different topics, while Lula repeatedly asked viewers to “look it up on Google” to prove his adversary was lying.
The debate also brought up Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence connected to efforts to overturn the 2022 election, which he lost to Lula, and Lula said he wanted all of their votes, including that of Jair Bolsonaro.
Reuters reported that the debate was scheduled to air on broadcaster Band, and teleSUR said the encounter would be broadcast live from Band’s studios in São Paulo beginning at 8:00 p.m. Brasília time.
teleSUR added that a second debate is scheduled for October 23, just ahead of the run-off, as both candidates sought to engage the 33 million voters who stayed home in the first round.