“Corrupt”, “liar”: accusations between Jair Bolsonaro and Lula da Silva in the debate for the presidential elections in Brazil

“Corrupted,” said one. “Liar,” another replied. in an expected debate among the candidates for the national elections on 2 October in Brazil, the right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro and its main rival and predecessor in office, the center left Lula da Silvathis Sunday he traded chicanes and strong accusations in a hard crossover on TV, during prime time.

From the very beginning, in one of his first speeches, Bolsonaro accused his main rival of having commanded “the most corrupt government in the history of Brazil”in direct reference to the scandals revealed by the Lava Jato Operation in the state-owned Petrobras and by the Odebrecht construction company, which resulted in nearly two years of imprisonment for the leader of the Workers’ Party, in a conviction later overturned by the Supreme Court for procedural failures.

In turn, Lula attacked the president stating that the country is “abandoned”, plagued by growing social exclusion and a lack of job creation. “Our government was the one with the greatest social inclusion in history,” Lula said. The former president wondered: “How can such a rich country go back so far?” and “how can you not worry about the suffering of so many people?” he said, calling him a “liar”.

This debate was the first time in Brazilian history that an incumbent president and a former president who intends to return to power have faced each other. For more than two hours the confrontation took place in a scenario of increasing polarization, with Lula leading in the polls, which continues to shrink. According to the latest Datafolha poll, the PT leader has 47% voting intentions against Bolsonaro’s 32%.

In addition to Lula and Bolsonaro, the other four candidates participated: former Finance Minister Ciro Gomes, of the Democratic Workers’ Party (PDT), and Senator Simone Tebet, of the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), third and fourth ai surveys . Also present were Luiz Felipe d’Avila, of the libertarian Novo party, and Soraya Thronicke of the Brazilian Union of former judge Sergio Moro, who sent Lula da Silva to prison and later joined the Bolsonaro government as Minister of Justice.

The debate, organized by the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, the UOL portal and TV Bandeirantes, was divided into three blocks and with no studio audience. In the first block there were questions on previously selected topics. In the second, the invited journalists asked their questions, choosing which of the applicants should answer. And in the last part, the guests were able to ask each other questions, in the order previously defined by drawing lots.

“He had to be asking me and I knew the question would come,” said Lula, pointing to Bolsonaro, who was watching him from the side of the stage, alluding to his allegations of corruption under the PT rule (2003-2010). In his response, Lula cited various anti-corruption measures and transparency in his administration. But Bolsonaro quickly insisted, saying the rival’s administration was carried out “on the basis of a theft.”

“His government was the most corrupt in Brazilian history”Said Bolsonaro, in one of the loudest sentences of the whole night.

Harsh mutual accusations between Bolsonaro and Lula

In another section of the meeting, Lula retorted by stating that his government was the one that generated the most jobs, inclusion, investment in education and profits for Petrobras. He also cited less deforestation in the Amazon and land resettlement, as a counterpoint to Bolsonaro. “The country I left is a country that people miss,” Lula said, accusing Bolsonaro of “destroying the nation” and “making up numbers” about the alleged successes of his administration.

It was then that Bolsonaro denied the existence of 33 million starving people, as the accusations of his detractors claim, and said that his social plan is even bigger than that installed by PT officials.

One of the most unexpected moments of the debate occurred at the beginning of the second block when Lula and Ciro Gomes, whose party ranked third with 5% of the voting intentions, they exchanged claws after an initial caress. In a question about the left-wing union, Lula said he had respect for his rival. “I am grateful to Ciro, who was in government with me from 2003 to 2006. He has decided not to be with us, to start his candidacy with him and this is his right,” said Lula.

His former ally, however, said so “Lula allowed herself to be bribed” and he also attributed the aggressiveness of the current political climate in Brazil to the PT. In another push, he argued that the former president is a “snake charmer” and blamed him for the economic crisis. “You know you are lying about me. […] I was acquitted in all 26 cases, ”Lula replied, alluding to the corruption allegations that led him to prison.

Another passage that caught the attention of Brazilians occurred towards the end of the debate, when Bolsonaro accused journalist Vera Magalhaes of “lying” by asking Ciro Gomes if he believed that the “misinformation” about vaccines in the pandemic was helping to cause “deaths that could have been avoided”, one of the most criticized points of the current government.

“You are a pity for Brazilian journalism,” Bolsonaro snapped in his reply. Immediately, candidates Tebet and Thronike supported the reporter and sentenced the head of state.

Tronicke, a candidate for a party allied with Bolsonaro, reprimanded him for his comment. And Tebet accused Bolsonaro of being a “misogynist”, told him that “he exudes hatred” and “attacks journalists” and, taking advantage of his time of cross-questioning among candidates, asked him: “Why so much hatred of women ? “

Bolsonaro responded by saying that his government has made many policies in favor of women and told him “enough victimization, we are all equal”.

The president argued that women should not be defended just because they are women and cited the first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, whose figure appealed to reach the female electorate. “She accuses me of her without any evidence. […] I was the government that sanctioned the most laws for women. […] It doesn’t stick anymore. […] Enough of victimization, we are all equal ”, insisted the head of state.

With information from ANSA, EFE and Clarín.

IS