RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro faced off in their final televised debate on Friday night, two days before Sunday’s presidential run-off, Al Jazeera reported, citing AFP and AP.
The debate, broadcast on TV Globo from Rio de Janeiro, focused largely on the economy, infrastructure and regional development. Lula attacked his rival’s plan to take a “chainsaw” to public spending in the style of Argentina’s Javier Milei. “I’ll have the same job here because you’re leaving the country bankrupt,” Bolsonaro answered.
Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, accused Lula of letting organised crime expand and failing to address the cost of living. “Why are things so expensive?” he asked. Lula replied that his opponent “doesn’t know what hunger is” and “doesn’t know Brazil.”
The tone was calmer than their first run-off debate but still turned personal. Bolsonaro called Lula “Nine Fingers,” a nickname referring to the finger the president lost in a factory accident as a metalworker, then apologised when the 80-year-old demanded it. Lula called Bolsonaro a vigilante, alluding to allegations of ties to Rio militia groups, which Bolsonaro said he would classify as “narcoterrorists.”
Bolsonaro led the Oct. 4 first round with 47% to Lula’s 45%. A Datafolha survey published Thursday showed the two tied at 50% each, erasing a four-point Bolsonaro lead in polls two weeks earlier. Both candidates planned street events in Rio and São Paulo on Saturday before the vote on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Sources: Al Jazeera
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