Bolsonaro, Lula face off in final debate ahead of upcoming runoff vote


Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faced off with his opponent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on Friday during their final televised debate prior to their globally anticipated runoff vote this Sunday.
Bolsonaro, the far-right wing leader who has often been compared to former President Donald Trump — and sometimes even called the "Tropical Trump" — traded blows with Lula, a leftist politician and former union leader. The pair found each other neck-and-neck following the general election on Oct. 2, in which neither candidate garnered 50 percent of the vote, resulting in the upcoming runoff.
The debate was marred by a tense and often brash back-and-forth between the two candidates. Lula, who previously served as Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010 and is looking to secure his third term, accused Bolsonaro of downplaying the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed almost 700,000 Brazilians.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lula also lambasted his opponent for the rise in organized crime seen in Brazil, as well as the harm that he said was done to Brazil's international standing. "Brazil is more isolated than Cuba …. We have become a pariah," Lula said, per The Guardian.
Bolsonaro, who reporters noted seemed visibly nervous, hit back at Lula, repeatedly calling him a liar and a crook. He additionally said called Lula's former government a "champion in corruption."
While Bolsonaro has previously insinuated he may not accept the results of the election, he appeared to backtrack on Friday, saying during the debate, "He with the most votes wins."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance
-
Trump judge pick told DOJ to defy courts, lawyer says
Speed Read Emil Bove, a top Justice Department official nominated by Trump for a lifetime seat, stands accused of encouraging government lawyers to mislead the courts and defy judicial orders