Brazil’s decisive debate on eve of presidential election
SAO PAULO (AP) — Tens of millions of Brazilians were glued to their TVs late Thursday for the final presidential debate before Sunday's elections.
Far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro needed a strong performance to ensure a runoff against leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the front-runner in the polls. Five other candidates also participated.
Hours before the debate on the Globo network, a poll by Datafolha indicated a first-round victory was within reach for da Silva, which would require him to get more votes than all other candidates combined.
For that reason, Mauro Paulino, the former head of Datafolha, said Thursday’s debate was “the most important since Brazil’s redemocratization” in 1985.
“A small group of people will decide whether this election has two rounds or one,” Paulino told GloboNews. “The performances of those candidates in front of so many viewers will matter a lot.”
Here are some of the key moments from the debate: ___
Da Silva, whose performance in the first debate weeks ago was called tepid by analysts, tried to show more energy in his answers to Bolsonaro.
But the debate quickly devolved into a fierce back-and-forth between the two, with each lobbing personal insults and the moderator granting them repeated opportunities to respond.
“Him talking about gangs, he should look in the mirror,” da Silva said.
“Liar. Ex-convict. Traitor to the nation,” Bolsonaro fired back. “Be ashamed of yourself, Lula.”
“It is insane that a president comes here and says what he says," da Silva said. "That is why people will send you home on Oct. 2.”
The moderator, William Bonner, eventually asked for civility: “Out of respect for the public, please maintain the level of calm for a democratic environment...