Bolsonaro presses Lula on corruption during Brazil election debate

LONDON

Brazil's two presidential frontrunners competed in a heated televised election debate Sunday night in the city of Sao Paulo.

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took on former two-time left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other candidates ahead of October elections as they exchanged barbs and accused one another of lying.

Bolsonaro pressed Lula on the topic of corruption, asking if he wanted to return to power to continue with corruption at Petrobras, the state-owned Brazilian oil and gas company which was involved in the large-scale “Car Wash” corruption scandal.

In 2018, Lula was a candidate for the Workers’ Party (PT) until a corruption and money laundering conviction curtailed his political aspirations, taking him out of the running as Bolsonaro went on to take office.

In 2019, Lula was released from prison, and his convictions were overturned last year by the Supreme Court.

Bolsonaro also claimed that Lula's government was built on "theft," describing it as a "kleptocracy" and labelling it "the most corrupt in the history of Brazil.”

Lula responded by listing a number of anti-corruption and transparency measures adopted by this government, rebuffing Bolsonaro's remarks and arguing that his government was based on inclusion, job generation, investment in education and profits for Petrobras.

Lula also accused Bolsonaro of destroying Brazil, underscoring that deforestation during his tenure was significantly lower.

Bolsonaro was also accused of misogyny for remarks in relation to feminism and women's rights.

Both Lula (PT) and Bolsonaro (Liberal Party) were joined by candidates from a host of other parties, including Ciro Gomes (Democratic Labour Party), Simone Tebet (Brazilian Democratic Movement party), Luiz Felipe D'Ávila (New Party) and Soraya Thronicke (Brazil Union party).

The polls put Lula ahead of Bolsonaro in what experts have labeled Brazil's most polarized elections in decades.

In the leadup to the debate, both Lula and Bolsonaro released campaign ads that touched on the economy.

Lula discussed inflation and the issue of hunger, which affects over 33 million people in Brazil.

Bolsonaro tied inflation to the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war while vowing to uphold welfare programs that support around 20 million families.

In mid-August, both Lula and Bolsonaro officially began their presidential campaigns.

Lula's campaign has focused on what he calls a "commitment" to tackle hunger in Brazil and the impact of inflation hitting families hard as he has vowed to "rebuild" the country.

Bolsonaro has pushed what he has called the "good" versus "evil" campaign narrative in reference to the opposition alongside conservative Christian and family values.

For over a year, Bolsonaro has raised doubts as to whether he will respect the results of the polls and has cast doubt over Brazil's electronic voting system without providing evidence. Earlier this week, he vowed to accept the results of October's election “as long as the vote is clean and transparent" in a bid to garner more moderate voters.

The October election will be the first since Bolsonaro took office as fears persist of potential political violence if the results are contested.