Lula and Bolsonaro spar in Brazil poll debate

SAO PAULO: Firing off personal attacks, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro held their first debate on Sunday (Oct 18), a week before a tight presidential election race.

In a chaotic exchange, the two men called each other liars multiple times, accusing each other of corruption and dragging up various scandals, while clashing on issues from public security to healthcare.

Lula said Bolsonaro was "a habitual liar, a thug", and physically distanced himself on stage from the candidate who he called a "militiaman", alluding to his alleged ties to Rio de Janeiro's paramilitary groups.

Bolsonaro, who led the first-round election with 47 per cent to Lula's 45 per cent, said it was better to keep Lula at a distance "because my wallet could be stolen".

"He's even worse than his father," said Lula, referring to far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.

"Brazil is going to retire you," said Bolsonaro.

Lula, who at almost 81 is seeking a fourth term in power, repeatedly asked viewers to "look it up on Google" to prove his adversary was lying.

Throughout the debate, Flavio paced up and down behind Lula, shaking his head, smirking and scoffing while his adversary spoke.

Lula - who battled to control his irritation at times - demanded an explanation regarding a corruption investigation involving Bolsonaro - a question his opponent dodged, calling Lula a "clown".

COVID "MEA CULPA"

For his part, the right-wing candidate went on the offensive by bringing up a potential corruption case involving one of Lula's sons.

Bolsonaro hammered away at the primary concerns of Brazilians - such as the cost of living and insecurity - and accused Lula of "reckless spending to get re-elected" due to various social measures he has announced while campaigning.

Lula countered by asking Bolsonaro about his plans to emulate the drastic cuts to public spending implemented by Argentina's Javier Milei.

Throughout the debate, Bolsonaro dodged the question and pivoted to different topics.

Lula portrayed his opponent as out of touch with the realities of poor Brazilians, saying he had never used the country's public healthcare system or taken a bus.

"My opponent only knows about buses from books. He has never even stepped foot on one. He has no idea what the world of work is like," said Lula.

On the topic of healthcare, when his father's handling of the Covid pandemic came up, Bolsonaro admitted that this "wasn't an area where we saw the best results during Bolsonaro's presidency. I'll offer a mea culpa here."

Jair Bolsonaro came up several times, including when his son asked Lula why so many prisoners had supported him in the election.

Lula said he wanted all of their votes, including Bolsonaro's - who is currently serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for a botched coup after his failed 2022 re-election bid.

"Vote for me, Bolsonaro, you know your son, you know I'm better than him."