Brazil: Bolsonaro, Lula Clash In Last Pre-Election Debate

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Oct 29, 2022

Image copyright: g1story last updated Oct 29, 2022

The Facts

On Friday, Brazil's right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro clashed with his leftist challenger, former Pres. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in their final televised debate ahead of Sunday's runoff election.
After discussing how much the minimum wage should increase, both candidates focused on trading barbs and accusations, calling each other a "liar" several times.

The Spin

Left narrative

While Lula is far from perfect, a second term for Bolsonaro could cause irreparable damage to Brazilian democracy and the environment. Bolsonaro's abysmal COVID handling was just the tip of the iceberg in a stale strategy that he deployed throughout his entire four-year term, which saw him undermine the rule of law, tear down relevant institutions, and allow Amazon deforestation to soar. Brazil is ready to move on.

Nature

Right narrative

While Lula has a good reputation abroad, for many Brazilians, he's the face of big corruption schemes that marred his Workers' Party term and dragged the country into its worst-recorded recession. As the Brazilian economy has been thriving under Bolsonaro, his re-election has gained the support of a wide coalition that includes social conservatives and pro-business voters.