Jair Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva faced each other in the last debate prior to the presidential elections in Brazil. This Sunday, October 30, it will be decided whether Bolsonaro stays in the Planalto Palace or gives way to Lula da Silva. But before the race to the polls, the arguments of the opponents were answered. In Globo, the two and a half hours of debate ended with calls to vote to “restore harmony in the country.”
“Harmony” is not the right word to describe the discussion. From the outset, the first minutes of free questions between the candidates were marked by insults and mutual accusations. “Lies” was the slogan, the most heard in the debate, but it did not prevent other issues from being discussed, for example, the minimum wage.
The PT candidate, Lula da Silva, questioned the Brazilian president about his refusal to increase the minimum wage. Bolsonaro said that the pandemic upset his accounts, but he left a promise: “I can announce that starting next year the minimum wage will be 1,400 reais.”
Faced with this announcement, Lula da Silva did not let go: “We are going to raise the minimum wage again, every year, above inflation, in line with GDP growth.”
In the third block of the debate, the PT candidate put his finger on the problem to talk about health. On the table, the pandemic, the vaccines and the “irresponsible management” of Bolsonaro.
From health to security in the favelas. “I am the only president of the Republic who has the moral courage to enter a favela, before and after, to be treated as a human being and to treat everyone with respect. Everyone there, hard-working and extraordinary people,” said Lula da Silva. .
And the current president was quick to respond: “Lula was in the Alemão complex, he didn’t go to see the workers, he went there to meet the drug trafficker.”
The PT candidate kept the batteries high and accused Bolsonaro of “facilitating the use of weapons in the country.”
“We have to facilitate people’s access to things that educate and not things that kill,” stressed the PT candidate.
There was time in this debate for a lot of different numbers and math on both sides, especially when it comes to job creation. The debate also included the issue of climate change, respect for the Constitution and the fight against poverty, which is the banner of the PT’s candidacy.
The second round of the Brazilian presidential elections takes place on Sunday, October 30. It will be decided if there is a testimonial step. So far, in the polls, Lula da Silva has kept the yellow shirt.
The most recent poll, conducted by Datafolha for TV Globo and Folha de São Paulo, continues to give Lula da Silva the victory. The former president, who was in charge of Brazil between 2003 and 2011, has 49% of the voting intentions, while the current president drops to 44%. The survey collected the options of 4,580 people in 252 municipalities.
Source: TSF
