Brazil’s Flávio Bolsonaro Dares Lula to the Last TV Debate Before the Vote
BRAZIL · ELECTION 2026
Key Facts
- —The country Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, holds the first round of its presidential election on Sunday 4 October. President Lula da Silva is seeking a fourth term.
- —Why it matters The TV Globo debate on Thursday 1 October is the last before the vote. It may be the only time this round that Lula and his main rival share a stage.
- —What happened On Sunday 27 September Flávio Bolsonaro said he will attend even if Lula does not. A Lula campaign coordinator replied that Lula should not “debate a militiaman”.
- —The numbers A Quaest poll released on 28 September puts Lula on 39% and Bolsonaro on 34% in the first round. A run-off is tied at 42% each.
- —What it means for you Watch whether Lula turns up. CNN Brasil reports that Bolsonaro plans to accuse him of dodging the contest if he stays away.
- —Still open Lula has not announced a decision. It is unclear what Globo will do with his slot if he stays away.
Brazil’s presidential race has a new fight six days before the vote, and it is about a television studio. Flávio Bolsonaro, the right-wing challenger, says he will take part in the Globo debate on Thursday whether or not President Lula da Silva shows up.
Lula’s São Paulo campaign coordinator says the president has no reason to go. O Globo columnist Lauro Jardim reports that the campaign leadership agrees Lula should attend.
The challenge
Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and a senator for Rio de Janeiro, made the announcement at a rally in Goiânia on Sunday. Valor Econômico and the news site g1 both reported that he would attend even without Lula.
“Lula, I want you at the Globo debate. Come and debate me, because I will rub the truth in your face,” he said, according to g1. He told the crowd, as quoted by Valor, that he was going “just to unmask this liar”.
CNN Brasil reported that his campaign had until then tied his attendance to Lula’s. According to CNN Brasil, he now plans to accuse Lula of dodging the contest if the president stays away.
Lula’s camp answers
Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, a lawyer who coordinates Lula’s campaign in São Paulo state, told UOL he opposed the trip. “I don’t see the point of him debating a militiaman in the first round,” he said, as reported by Revista Fórum and Agenda do Poder.
The insult echoes Lula’s claim that Bolsonaro has ties to Rio’s militias, criminal groups often run by police. Bolsonaro denies any link, g1 reported.
Carvalho argued that Lula had already done every televised candidate interview, spoken to foreign media and set out his programme.
Why Lula may go anyway
Lauro Jardim, writing in O Globo on Monday, gave two reasons why Lula is all but obliged to go. The polls leave Lula no room to avoid the clash, and Bolsonaro’s aggressive challenge leaves him no alternative.
A Quaest poll for Globo, released later on Monday, found Lula five points ahead in the first round, outside its two-point margin of error. The same poll, reported by g1 and InfoMoney, shows a run-off against Flávio Bolsonaro tied at 42%.
What Is Not Yet Known
Lula has not said whether he will attend, and his national campaign has not formally answered the challenge. Carvalho speaks for the São Paulo operation, not for the president himself.
It is also unclear how Globo will present the debate if Lula stays away. Neither man has taken part in a debate so far this campaign, Agenda do Poder reported.
Sources: Valor Econômico; g1; CNN Brasil; O Globo (Lauro Jardim); UOL, via Revista Fórum and Agenda do Poder; Quaest poll via g1 and InfoMoney.
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