Brazil’s already combustible presidential race erupted on live television as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro clashed in their first debate, trading personal insults and corruption allegations just a week before a nail-biting runoff.
The encounter quickly slid into a disorderly back-and-forth, with both men repeatedly branding the other a liar, dredging up old scandals, and accusing one another of wrongdoing — a snapshot of a campaign defined by rancor in a deeply polarized country.
Flavio Bolsonaro has held a polling advantage since the first round, but that lead tightened slightly in two surveys published this week, putting him at 51% of voting intentions compared with 49% for Mr Lula.
Mr Bolsonaro — the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro — stunned observers by finishing ahead of Mr Lula in the first round earlier this month. With the runoff set for 25 October, polling points to a contest that could hinge on the smallest shifts.
Onstage, the candidates jousted over the economy, public security, healthcare, corruption, and Brazil’s relationship with the United States.
“Brazil is going to retire you,” said Flavio Bolsonaro, trying to rattle his rival by pacing behind him in full view of the cameras, shaking his head, smirking, and scoffing as Mr Lula spoke.
Mr Lula fired back by calling Mr Bolsonaro “a habitual liar, a thug,” and said he did not want to stand close to a “militiaman,” a reference to alleged links to Rio de Janeiro’s paramilitary groups.
Mr Bolsonaro repeatedly took aim at Mr Lula’s past imprisonment for corruption — convictions later annulled — and quipped that keeping distance was wise “because my wallet could be stolen.”
Mr Lula, who is seeking a fourth term and is almost 81, at times struggled to rein in his frustration. More than once, he urged viewers to “look it up on Google,” insisting that fact-checking would show his opponent was lying.
‘Subservient’ to US interests
Mr Bolsonaro pressed on issues dominating daily life for many Brazilians, including the rising cost of living and insecurity, while accusing Mr Lula of “reckless spending to get re-elected” through a series of social measures announced on the campaign trail.
Mr Lula responded by demanding to know whether Mr Bolsonaro intended to copy the sweeping “chainsaw” cuts to public spending carried out by Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei — measures that have been associated with higher unemployment and reductions in benefits.
Mr Bolsonaro repeatedly sidestepped the question, steering the discussion toward other themes.
Mr Lula also challenged the senator over his closeness to US President Donald Trump, a long-time ally of the Bolsonaro family, and raised concerns about plans he said would “hand over” Brazil’s rare earth minerals.
“It is striking how the Bolsonaro family is subservient to American interests,” said Mr Lula.
Jair Bolsonaro surfaced repeatedly in the exchange, including when his son asked Mr Lula why so many prisoners had backed him in the election.
Mr Lula replied that he welcomed every vote — even from Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for a botched coup bid following his failed 2022 re-election attempt.
“Vote for me, Bolsonaro, you know your son, you know I’m better than him.”
