Brazil’s Lula and Bolsonaro debate policy proposals before run-off

What the report says

Brazil’s presidential race intensified ahead of Sunday’s runoff as Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his rival, right-wing candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, used their final televised debate to press policy arguments and trade sharp personal attacks. The debate took place on Friday in Rio de Janeiro and was broadcast by TV Globo, according to Al Jazeera’s report. The candidates discussed the economy, infrastructure and regional development, while also accusing each other of worsening crime, debt and the cost of living.

Lula criticised Bolsonaro’s spending plans and questioned his familiarity with the country’s wider problems. Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, responded by portraying himself as the candidate for change and arguing that Lula’s administration had failed to contain organised crime or inflationary pressures. The exchange included a brief apology after Bolsonaro used a nickname for Lula linked to the president’s missing finger. Another tense moment came when Lula referred to allegations of paramilitary ties involving his opponent, which Bolsonaro rejected.

The contest remains extremely close. Bolsonaro led the first round of voting on 4 October with 47 percent to Lula’s 45 percent, but a Datafolha poll published on Thursday put both candidates at 50 percent support. Al Jazeera reported that both campaigns planned final street appearances in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo before the vote. The result matters because Brazil is choosing between two sharply different political paths in a highly polarized election.