Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro escalate attacks before Brazil runoff

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro traded personal attacks and corruption allegations in their first face-to-face debate before Sunday’s closely contested presidential runoff.

The candidates argued over the economy, public security, healthcare, corruption and relations with the United States. Bolsonaro accused Lula of reckless social spending and challenged him over the cost of living, while Lula questioned Bolsonaro’s approach to public spending and accused his family of being “subservient to American interests.” They repeatedly called each other liars and invoked allegations involving paramilitary groups and Lula’s annulled corruption convictions.

Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, finished nearly two percentage points ahead of Lula in the first round. Two polls cited by RTÉ and the Taipei Times put voting intentions at 51% for Bolsonaro and 49% for Lula ahead of the October 25 runoff. A second debate is scheduled for Friday.

The confrontation has also moved into the courts. Lula’s campaign said it would seek Bolsonaro’s disqualification over alleged election interference involving Meta. Bolsonaro’s campaign filed a separate case asking Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court to cancel Lula’s candidacy, alleging abuse of power through government WhatsApp messages promoting social programs. The allegations have not been adjudicated.

The candidates are also disputing disclosure of personal records amid corruption investigations touching both camps. Lula offered to release bank, tax and telephone records for himself and his family if Bolsonaro did the same. Bolsonaro demanded that Lula’s disclosure include advisers, security staff and companies held by Lula’s children; a Lula campaign representative said the president had accepted those conditions. Bolsonaro and Lula’s son deny wrongdoing in the investigations involving them.