Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for office again, left, faces President Jair Bolsonaro in a presidential debate at Bandeirantes Television in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. The presidential runoff election is set for Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Marcelo Chello)
Debates in the election’s first round featured several other candidates, none of whom garnered more than 5% of the Oct. 2 vote. During the debates, they were largely distractions from the two obvious frontrunners.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for reelection, right, and former justice minister Sergio Moro, who had broken off relations with Bolsonaro look at each other during a presidential debate at Bandeirantes Television in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. Bolsonaro will face Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a presidential runoff on Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Marcelo Chello)
On Sunday, the two repeatedly called each other liars during an encounter lasting about 1 ½ hours. The term was used more than a dozen times by each of the candidates in the TV Band debate that, otherwise, was less aggressive than many analysts had expected.
Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for office again, left, faces Jair Bolsonaro in a presidential debate at Bandeirantes Television in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. The presidential runoff election is set for Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Marcelo Chello)
“You are a liar. You lie every day,” da Silva said during one exchange. Bolsonaro frequently said: “You can’t come here to tell people these lies.”
Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for office again, left, faces President Jair Bolsonaro in a presidential debate at Bandeirantes Television in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. The presidential runoff election is set for Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Marcelo Chello)
Earlier this month, da Silva, who is universally known as Lula, won the election’s first round with 48% of the vote compared to Bolsonaro’s 43%. Polls indicate the leftist former president, who governed between 2003-2010, remains the frontrunner, though his lead has shrunk considerably.
Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for office again, left, faces President Jair Bolsonaro in a presidential debate at Bandeirantes Television in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. The presidential runoff election is set for Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Marcelo Chello)
Each candidate focused on the issues that, according to polls, represent their adversary’s weak points: for Bolsonaro, the COVID-19 pandemic that killed 680,000 Brazilians, and for da Silva, corruption scandals involving his Workers’ Party.
Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running for office again, speaks during a presidential debate against President Jair Bolsonaro at Bandeirantes Television in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. Da Silva will face Jair Bolsonaro in a presidential runoff on Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Marcelo Chello)
Da Silva and Bolsonaro are expected to take part in one more debate, days before the vote, on TV Globo, Brazil’s most popular network.
Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, who is running for reelection, speaks during a presidential debate against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Bandeirantes Television in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022. Bolsonaro will face Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a presidential runoff on Oct. 30. (AP Photo/Marcelo Chello)
