Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro was the main target of attacks during a debate marked by the absence of his leftist challenger just eight days before presidential elections.
The right-wing president faced questions about alleged corruption cases in his government and the use of the federal budget to buy congressional support in a debate organised by a pool of local media on Saturday evening. Front-runner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, meanwhile, was criticised by all for skipping the discussion.
“Lula didn’t show up because he’s overconfident, he thinks he’s already won,” said Ciro Gomes, who places third in opinion polls and is struggling to stop some of his supporters from casting a strategic pro-Lula vote in the first round of the election. “Or because he can’t explain his unfulfilled promises and corruption allegations.”
Bolsonaro tried to fend off attacks from his adversaries by focusing on his Auxilio Brasil programme, which pays 600 reais (about $110) a month to vulnerable Brazilians, as well as measures to lower fuel prices and to cancel part of student debts. He repeatedly said his government has rooted out corruption.
“This is a government that has a special eye for the most needy,” he said.
Bolsonaro’s focus on social programmes is part of a strategy to reduce Lula’s lead among the poor. Measures of voting intentions give the former president 57% among Brazilians earning less than two minimum wages, versus 24% for the incumbent, according to a Datafolha poll released on Thursday.
During the debate, Bolsonaro received the support of an unusual candidate: a self-declared orthodox priest replacing former congressman Roberto Jefferson, who was barred from running for his involvement in a corruption scandal. Father Kelmon defended the incumbent on numerous occasions, saying he had “helped the country a lot” and was suffering a concerted attack from all other participants.
Gomes and senator Simone Tebet, in fourth place in the opinion polls, made an effort to dissuade their followers from casting a strategic vote for one of the front-runners, an idea some Brazilians have been considering to resolve the election on October 2. According to Brazil’s electoral law, a candidate needs more than 50% of the votes to win. If no-one gets enough support in the first round, a run-off will be held on October 30.
“Strategic voting is voting with your conscience,” Tebet said.
Bloomberg News. For more articles like this please visit Bloomberg.com.
