Election debate cancelled in Brazil, bomb scare outside Supreme Court

What the report says

Brazil’s final televised presidential debate was cancelled after both leading contenders declined to take part, Al Jazeera reported. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva chose a podcast appearance instead, while his main challenger, right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, said he was withdrawing because of what he called censorship by Brazil’s electoral court. The debate, organised by TV Globo, was intended as the last major face-to-face event before Sunday’s first-round vote. The broadcaster said legal rulings from the electoral court and Supreme Court had created uncertainty around how the programme could be staged.

The report said Lula and Bolsonaro are the frontrunners in a tight race, with Lula holding a slight lead in polls and the two men projected to be close in a possible runoff on October 25. Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, framed his no-show as a protest over a ruling that prevented the broadcaster from leaving Lula’s empty podium on display.

On the same day, police in Brasilia dismissed a bomb threat outside the Supreme Court. A man who tried to climb court fences and left a backpack near a bus stop was arrested, and officials later said the bag contained only personal belongings. The Supreme Court has been a frequent target of criticism from Brazil’s political right and remains central to the campaign’s legal and political tensions.