Overview
- The last televised debate between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and senator Flávio Bolsonaro took place on Friday and mixed intense programmatic exchanges with sharp personal attacks, including Bolsonaro calling Lula “nove dedos” and later apologizing.
- Lula repeatedly invoked Argentina and Javier Milei to warn against deep spending cuts, while Bolsonaro pressed on debt, taxes and high interest rates and offered promises on infrastructure and security.
- Polling heading into the Oct. 25 runoff showed a technical tie, with Datafolha reporting roughly 47% for Bolsonaro and 46% for Lula and both at about 50% when only valid votes are counted.
- Accusations about Bolsonaro’s ties to militias and financial scandals, including references to Daniel Vorcaro and Banco Master, were raised during the debate and used to question his record on governance and public order.
- Broader regional studies from Observatorio Pulsar and AmericasBarometer show falling approval for many recent right‑leaning leaders while noting Lula’s approval remained relatively stable, underscoring that approval trends do not alone determine election outcomes and that undecided voters will likely decide the result.