The first debate between Bolsonaro and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who are contesting the second round that will define the next president of Brazil, had attacks and accusations of fake news, corruption and mismanagement of the pandemic.
At the beginning, former President Lula da Silva recalled that Brazil registered 11% of deaths from Covid-19 in the world, even though it has 3% of the world population, trying to expose what he considered a mismanagement of public health by part of the government. led by Bolsonaro.
Lula da Silva called his opponent “King of ‘Fake News'” and “King of Stupidity” and said that Bolsonaro “delayed the vaccine”, in an act of “negligence” [que] caused the death of 600,000 people, when more than half could have been saved”.
Rejecting the accusations of mismanagement and coldness in the face of the suffering of the infected Brazilians, Bolsonaro said that he was “moved by each death”, that in his mandate “more than 500 million [doses de] vaccines” and that Brazil was “the country that vaccinated the most in the world.
Bolsonaro again devalued public recommendations on the use of drugs without proven efficacy to combat the pandemic, such as chloroquine, alleging a supposed right of doctors to prescribe drugs “with or without scientific evidence.”
The current president alleged that Lula da Silva’s Workers’ Party was related to leaders of organized crime factions in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and spoke ironically of an event his campaign held in one of the largest conglomerates of favelas in Rio de Janeiro, the Complexo do Alemão.
“You are a friend of the bandits. There were no police on your side in the favela, only drug traffickers,” Bolsonaro shot Lula da Silva, in one of the most tense moments of the first block of the debate.
Lula da Silva negotiated links with organized crime, reiterated that he went to the Complexo do Alemão, which only had workers by his side, and promised to return to that favela in Rio de Janeiro.
Video of an interview in which Bolsonaro made inappropriate comments about a visit to young Venezuelans in a favela, which Lula da Silva’s supporters saw as demonstrating the president’s association with pedophilia, a topic that was hotly debated during the weekend, he was summoned by the president. himself, who claimed to have been the target of fake news and false claims.
Bolsonaro highlighted a decision by the president of the Superior Electoral Court, Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered Lula da Silva’s campaign to withdraw a video about the controversy.
Lula da Silva said that Bolsonaro had to make a live broadcast, on social networks early Sunday, to explain why he lied by associating young Venezuelan women with prostitution, but recalled that he used a campaign ‘pin’ against sexual abuse and exploitation of children and adolescents in Brazil.
Both Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro said they had no interest in increasing the number of judges in the Federal Supreme Court (STF).
This is one of the most controversial issues of the Brazilian elections because Bolsonaro’s supporters revealed a project to increase the number of STF judges, an idea that a large part of Brazilian public opinion considered a threat and an attempt to co-opt the judiciary. , as would have happened in Hungary and Venezuela.
“We already had experience in the dictatorship of changing the Supreme Court […] It is not democratic for a president of the Republic to want to have the ministers of the Supreme Court as friends,” Lula said.
“On my part, the commitment is made, there will be no proposal,” Bolsonaro said.
Questioned by journalists about the relationship they intend to maintain with Congress, since both have responded to accusations of corruption and embezzlement of public money in exchange for the support of parliamentarians, the candidates adopted different strategies.
The current President affirmed that he is not responsible for budgetary secrecy, a practice initiated in his government that consists of allowing parliamentarians to indicate, without providing transparency, where the Executive’s resources will be applied in exchange for support in votes in Congress, a practice that is being investigated on suspicion of corruption.
“If I buy [um deputado]will vote with me. The budget was created by [pelo deputado] Rodrigo Maia, I wish this was in my hands. I would never give money to this group if they didn’t vote with me,” Bolsonaro said.
Former President Lula da Silva, whose first government was involved in the vote-buying scheme known as Mensalão, stressed the importance of dealing with the Congress elected by the Brazilian population and said he will carry out a participatory budget.
“It is with those who have a mandate that the Executive is related. I am going to try to put an end to the clandestine budget with a participatory budget, sending people to give their opinion, saying what they really want to be done”, proposed the ex. President.
Promoted by TV Bandeirantes, Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, UOL portal and TV Cultura, the first debate of the second round of the elections had three blocks, with questions from journalists and two moments, of 30 minutes each, in which the candidates were able to debate freely.
Lula and Bolsonaro face each other in the second round of the presidential elections on October 30.
The latest poll, published on Friday, indicates that former union leader Lula da Silva has a five-point lead over Bolsonaro.
Source: TSF
