Flavio Bolsonaro and Lula Clash on Crime and Costs in Rio Debate

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and challenger Flavio Bolsonaro met Friday in their final campaign debate, exchanging arguments over spending, crime, and household costs two days before Sunday's runoff vote.

The debate unfolded over the following sequence. On October 4, Bolsonaro placed first in the opening round with 47 percent against Lula's 45 percent. A Datafolha survey published Thursday, October 22, put both men at 50 percent, erasing the four-point edge Bolsonaro held in polls from two weeks earlier. The two candidates then met Friday, October 23, for a debate in Rio de Janeiro broadcast on TV Globo. Lula, who is 80, criticized Bolsonaro's plan to cut public spending, comparing it to the approach of Argentina's libertarian president, Javier Milei. "I'll have the same job here [as Milei in Argentina] because you're leaving the country bankrupt," Bolsonaro said. Bolsonaro, a senator and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, accused Lula of allowing organized crime to expand, pushing families into debt, and failing to address the cost of living. Lula replied, "He doesn't know what hunger is," and, "He doesn't know Brazil." Bolsonaro asked, "Why are things so expensive?"

The exchange grew personal when Bolsonaro used the nickname "Nine Fingers" for Lula, a term his supporters use that refers to an accident Lula suffered while working as a metalworker. Lula requested an apology and Bolsonaro provided one. Lula then called Bolsonaro a vigilante, citing allegations that Bolsonaro has ties to paramilitary groups in Rio de Janeiro; Bolsonaro said he would classify such groups as "narcoterrorists." A third tense moment involved the mother of a five-year-old child killed in a shootout that included a police officer whose lawyer was Bolsonaro; the candidate said he does not believe his client was guilty.

Both candidates are scheduled to appear with supporters in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in the final days of campaigning ahead of Sunday's vote. The runoff takes place on October 25.

The first debate between the two took place on Sunday, October 19, and Friday's session was conducted in a more diplomatic manner, though it still included personal attacks and tense moments.