Lula and Bolsonaro spar in Brazil poll debate

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.”