Lula and Bolsonaro face off in their first debate one week before the runoff in Brazil

Lula and Bolsonaro face off in their first debate one week before the runoff in Brazil The senator and the current president engaged in a tense exchange in São Paulo, with cross-accusations for corruption, questions about their family circles, and strong differences on how to confront organized crime. - 6 minutes reading SAO PAULO.- The presidential candidates of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, face off this Sunday in an intense debate one week before the runoff that will determine the next president. The first face-to-face occurs after a day of mobilizations from the right and the left, including acts at sea. Bolsonaro, son of the ultraright president Jair Bolsonaro, won the first round on October 4th with 47% of the votes, against the leftist Lula's 45%. The debate, in the TV Band studios in São Paulo, will be a key moment in the campaign, following Lula's refusal to meet with his rival before the first round. From the Bolsonaro-aligned sector, thousands of right-wing militants gathered before the face-off for an event led by the opposition candidate on Paulista Avenue in São Paulo. "Only seven days left for Brazil to get rid of the PT (Workers' Party, of Lula)," he expressed to the public. 🚨 IT'S ABOUT TO START! Lula has just arrived for the debate on Band! 🇧🇷 — PT Brasil (@ptbrasil) October 18, 2026 The attendees asked for Bolsonaro's "turn," alluding to the former president, despite him serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for coup-plotting after losing the 2022 elections. On the other hand, in Rio de Janeiro, there were demonstrations in favor of the current administration: beachgoers at Praia Vermelha put themselves in the water forming Lula's name. Later, a "democracy act" on Copacabana beach called by the legendary musician Caetano Veloso gathered several thousand leftists, while thousands of people also protested in Brasília in favor of the 80-year-old president. With the protagonism of students and social movements, these acts appeal above all to the rejection of a new far-right government, with slogans like "Bolsonaro never again." In Lula's circle, there is a climate of "contained hope," although knowing it is a very difficult battle, a government source said on Friday. Polls from Datafolha and Quaest published this week show the senator has 51% voting intention compared to the current president's 49%. One week earlier, Datafolha showed a larger lead (52% to 48%). The first slogan: security Bolsonaro began the debate with a jab at Lula: the former president's son entered the stage and greeted his electoral opponent without referring to him as president: "Good evening, candidate, it is an honor to be here with you." The first of the candidates to speak was the opposition, who referred to insecurity in Brazil and stated that one of the solutions is for leaders of criminal gangs to serve up to 30 years in prison. "I will declare war on narcoterrorism and recover every city, every territory," he expressed. "Starting in January I will declare war on narcoterrorism, classifying the Primeiro Comando Vermelho (PCC), the Comando Vermelho (CV), and the militias as narcoterrorist organizations," he pointed out, in a measure similar to that taken by the Donald Trump government a few months ago and which was harshly criticized by Lula. On the other hand, in the security slogan, Bolsonaro was asked what projects he has to reduce the criminal age and did not answer. Furthermore, he promised those living in areas dominated by the "marginalized" to recover "every meter, every street, every city, and every territory" and promised to create new prisons. Lula presented himself at the debate with his classic tie in the colors of Brazil, which he uses on special occasions, and regarding insecurity, he highlighted that his administration is taking action on the matter. "We are fighting organized crime," he asserted and clarified that prison sentences have grown during his term. The cross-accusations From the start of the face-off, both candidates had exchanges. One of the most striking was about the accusations made regarding judicial investigations against family members: on one side, Lula referred to the four-year prison sentence for Eduardo Bolsonaro -Flavio's brother and who is in refuge in Washington- and on the other, the opposition candidate mentioned the allegations against Lulinha, the current president's son, for alleged influence peddling. In this line, Lula attacked Bolsonaro and declared: "You are in the United States plotting against Brazil." Then he insisted on the sentence for Eduardo Bolsonaro and the links of his family with the American president Donald Trump. In turn, amidst the clashes over corruption cases, the opposition candidate launched a jab at Lula: he approached the camera and showed the palm of his hand, where the word "corrupt" was written. "Do you see two letters? Do you see what they are? It says PT, Workers' Party," he pointed out. This is a mockery that his father, Jair, had already made on several occasions in 2022. In another part of the debate, Lula counterattacked Bolsonaro and said he would not ask any more questions until he answers "what happened to the 134 million reais of Vorcaro," referring to a scandal that shakes Brazil, through which the right-wing candidate was accused of receiving that sum from the Master Bank to finance a biopic of his father. The case gained repercussions after the owner of the financial institution was arrested for leading a pyramid scheme and a multi-billion dollar fraud that left a hole of billions of dollars. From gang member? Distance. And the R$ 134 million of Vorcaro, Flavio? pic.twitter.com/d6uHBjAFdM Lula also pointed at Bolsonaro for the death of Ana Clara Machado in 2021, a five-year-old girl who was murdered by the police officer Bruno Dias Delaroli and accused him of defending the security officer. In this context, there was a striking exchange: the opposition asked his rival why he received the vote of 73% of prisoners and the president replied: "I want you to vote for me 100%, even your father." The jab about Milei At another time, Lula referred to the affinity between Bolsonaro and the Argentine president Javier Milei. "Did you borrow the chainsaw?", he asked in reference to the libertarian's campaign symbol in 2023. The opposition, in turn, responded with another accusation: he said that the PT candidate is an ally of Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua. "The left has left so many people in misery that the right has to come and fix it," he expressed, to which the president replied: "My model is Lula's, the one that generated the greatest social inclusion." News in development. With information from AFP. - 1 - 2 Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro arrive at the final stretch with opposite moods and a certainty: nothing is defined - 3 A marathon of elections will redraw the map of power and test the state of democracy in the West - 4 Social outburst in France: an eclectic protest led to riots, fires, and clashes with the police