In Brazil, decisive televised debate with Lula and Jair Bolsonaro
Three days before the first round of the presidential election in Brazil, seven of the eleven candidates meet for a final televised debate on Thursday evening.
Lula and Jair Bolsonaro have already participated in a televised debate for the presidential election in Brazil on August 28, 2022.
AFP
Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and his rival Lula meet for a final debate late Thursday, three days before the first round of presidential elections and after the release of a poll confirming a clear advantage for the leftist former prime minister.
The debate will be followed by millions of viewers on TV Globo, the country’s largest channel. It is seen by both candidates as their last chance to woo the undecideds. Out of 11 contestants, a total of seven candidates will contest.
Luis Inacio Lula da Silva maintains a comfortable advantage over Bolsonaro with 48% of voting intentions against the incumbent president, 34%, according to a poll released Thursday by Datafolha just before this third and final televised debate. Win the first round. “This is a debate that could change things,” a Bolsonaro campaign source told AFP, scheduled for 10:30pm local time (3:30am Friday in Switzerland).
“Effective Vote”
According to Datafolha, 14% of Brazilians are still undecided who they will vote for on Sunday. Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) is campaigning among Brazilians for an “effective vote” to give the old lion of Brazilian politics a third term in this first round.
If no candidate receives more than 50% of the valid votes (excluding null and void), a second round is scheduled for October 30. According to Datafolha, Lula received 50% of valid votes in Thursday’s poll, a score within the poll’s margin of error (2 percentage points). A PT campaign source assured AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the team is “confident when ready for the second round”.
Center-left candidate Ciro Gomez, third in the polls and credited with 6% of voting intentions, was under pressure to step down to facilitate a victory for Lula. But Ciro Gomez promised to go all the way. Right-wing Senator Simone Debate, fourth in the polls and praised for her performance during the first debate, gathers 5% of voting intentions and represents a pool of potential voters.
Pro Neymar Bolsonaro
For its part, Bolsonaro’s team considers the debate a delicate moment and has advised the presidential-candidate to appear less aggressive during the first debate, according to Brazilian press. The president came under fire after he sexually assaulted a journalist who was interviewing him.
New misogynist comments three days before the election could cost him dearly, while women voters are deserting him. But he got some strong support on Thursday: Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar made his choice public in a video posted on TikTok.
After a performance disappointed by commentators during the first debate – he failed to defend himself against corruption charges launched by Jair Bolsonaro – Lula did not participate in the second debate, citing an already busy schedule.
In a sign of the importance of the showdown, both candidates are gearing up for it on Thursday and have not scheduled any other events. Jair Bolsonaro, who has questioned the reliability of voting by electronic ballot box for months, raised the threat of a challenge to the results Sunday evening.
“We are in the majority and we will win the first round,” he promised during a meeting last weekend. Election campaigning on radio and television must end by midnight this Thursday, but meetings and leaflet distribution will be authorized until Saturday evening, the day before the election.
AFP
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