Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro exchanged insults and corruption allegations during a tense televised debate as they sought to sway voters ahead of a runoff election on Oct. 30.
The event organized by Band TV was the first time the two leading candidates met alone face to face, giving them plenty of time to attack each other, as they did not have to share airtime with five other contestants who joined debates before the first-round vote of the presidential election on Oct. 2.
It was a key moment for candidates to reach millions of voters in the final stretch of a tight presidential election, when every vote counts. Both have rushed to secure the backing of contestants who did not make it to the second round, as well as key state governors and mayors who may rally supporters in their states and municipalities. Over the past week, Lula and Bolsonaro crisscrossed Brazil’s northeast to court poor voters.
Photo: AFP
The debate started with the men trying to explain where they would find money to deliver on the promises they have made during the campaign, including more generous cash handouts of 600 reals (US$113) per month to poor people. Both cited a tax reform proposal as part of a strategy to boost government revenue. Bolsonaro said some of the funds obtained with privatizations would also be diverted to fund social programs. Lula said he would reduce the tax burden on poor people and increase it on the wealthy.
It was one of the few times the economy would come into play in the two-hour debate. A long discussion about Bolsonaro’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic ensued, leaving the president visibly uncomfortable in some occasions. Both called each other a “liar” and “corrupt” several times.
“You’re a liar, the king of fake news,” Lula said. “You discredited vaccines, mocked people dying from lack of oxygen; nobody in the world made fun of the pandemic and death like you did.”
Bolsonaro responded, saying that Lula “did nothing for the country.”
“You only diverted public funds to your pocket and those of your friends,” he said.
Asked whether they would respect the separation of powers and refrain from sponsoring bills to increase the number of justices in the nation’s top court, Lula said that making changes in the court’s composition to appoint friends would be a setback.
However, he conceded that a fixed mandate for the judges instead of lifetime terms could be discussed.
Bolsonaro, who has clashed with Brazilian Supreme Court justices throughout his years in office, coming close to an institutional crisis in some occasions, promised not to sponsor any bill to increase the number of court members.
Lula, who governed the country from 2003 to 2010, won the first round of the vote with 48 percent support. Bolsonaro took 43 percent. Since neither clinched the simple majority needed to win outright, they face off again on Oct. 30.
Lula continues to lead the presidential race although some pollsters say the results would be even tighter than in the first round, when most failed to fully capture support for the right-wing president.
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