Globo Debate: Lula Leans Toward Skipping Brazil’s Last TV Clash Before the Vote
Update, 2 October: The debate was cancelled hours before airtime. Read our full analysis of the cancellation, the court rulings and who gains.
POLITICS · BRAZIL
Key Facts
- The country Brazil holds the first round of its presidential election on Sunday 4 October. A runoff, if no one wins outright, follows on 25 October.
- What happened On 28 September, Workers’ Party chief Edinho Silva said Lula will skip TV Globo’s 1 October debate unless the format allows a direct clash with Flávio Bolsonaro.
- Who is involved Globo invited Lula, Flávio Bolsonaro, Ronaldo Caiado and Augusto Cury. Romeu Zema and Renan Santos were not invited, under a rule on party size in Congress (Metrópoles, Itatiaia).
- What it means for you The Globo debate is the only first-round TV event still scheduled with both poll leaders. Without Lula, voters may not see the two side by side before 4 October.
- Still open Lula has not formally answered Globo. CNN Brasil reported on 29 September that his campaign would fix podcast interviews for Thursday by 30 September.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is leaning toward skipping Thursday’s Globo debate, the last TV clash scheduled before the 4 October vote. His campaign is preparing podcast interviews for the same day, CNN Brasil reported on 29 September.
His rival, senator Flávio Bolsonaro, says he will attend regardless. If Lula stays away, Globo’s rules could open a seat for a fifth candidate, Renan Santos.
What Lula’s Camp Said
Edinho Silva, who chairs Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT), set out the condition on Rádio TMC on Monday 28 September. Lula wants to confront Flávio Bolsonaro, he said, but only in a format built for a direct exchange.
He rejected a model in which Lula “asks a question and waits half an hour” for the next one, Diário do Poder reported. “If it is that model, President Lula will not go and will wait for the second round,” he said, according to CartaCapital.
CartaCapital reported that Lula would hear allies until Wednesday 30 September before deciding. Lula spent Monday in Belém, in the northern state of Pará, signing a law to monitor the quality of private health care, Poder360 reported.
There he joked that he could take “a little” from the rich to improve the lives of the poor.
A Podcast Instead of a Podium
Lula’s campaign plans interviews on high-reach podcasts on Thursday, the day of the Globo debate, CNN Brasil columnist Caio Junqueira reported. The aim is to offset his absence.
People around Lula judge that facing four rivals on stage would hurt him more than being branded a “runaway”, the column said. Interviewers and format were due to be set by Wednesday.
Agenda do Poder, citing the pro-PT site Brasil 247, reported a live podcast interview during the broadcast. No final decision had been announced by Tuesday morning.
Who Is on Globo’s Stage
Globo invited four candidates: Lula, Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL), Ronaldo Caiado of the PSD and Augusto Cury of Avante. Electoral law guarantees debate seats only to parties with at least five members of Congress, Metrópoles reported.
Romeu Zema of the Novo party was left out, and his team confirmed that to Rádio Itatiaia on 24 September. A CNN Brasil column listed Zema among Lula’s stage rivals, but the reported invitation list does not include him.
A Seat Opens for Renan Santos
If an invited candidate is absent, Globo will call the best-placed remaining candidate in the polls, Metrópoles reported. That points to Renan Santos of the Missão party, who has polled ahead of Zema.
In Datafolha’s poll of 22 to 23 September, Santos had 3% and Zema 1%, CNN Brasil reported. Lula led with 40% against 36% for Flávio Bolsonaro.
Allies told Metrópoles that Santos’s campaign is weighing legal action if Globo does not call him. Santos himself told Folha’s Painel column he expects no invitation because Globo “prefers that Flávio goes”, O Antagonista reported.
A Campaign With Few Debates
Brazil is heading for its fewest first-round presidential TV debates since 1998, Estadão reported on 25 September. SBT and Record cancelled theirs, leaving one debate, held by Band with Estadão.
The calendar itself is stable. Lula led the Quaest poll published on 28 September by 39% to 34%, CartaCapital reported, and a runoff would put only two candidates on stage.
Background: Brazil’s Flávio Bolsonaro Dares Lula to the Last TV Debate Before the Vote and Datafolha Poll Shows Lula Leading Flávio Bolsonaro 40 to 36 as the Runoff Stays a Tie.
What Is Not Yet Known
Lula has not formally answered Globo, and it is not known whether the broadcaster would adjust the format to meet his conditions. Nor is it known which podcasts would host him on Thursday.
It is also unclear whether Globo would invite Renan Santos, or how a court would rule if he sued. Thursday’s broadcast will show who takes the stage, three days before the vote.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the Globo debate?
It is scheduled for Thursday 1 October, after the evening news, three days before the first round. Globo invited Lula, Flávio Bolsonaro, Ronaldo Caiado and Augusto Cury.
Has Lula officially declined the Globo debate?
No. As of 29 September his party chief had said Lula would not attend under a restrictive format, but Lula had not given Globo an official answer.
Why was Romeu Zema not invited?
Globo applied the electoral-law rule that guarantees seats to parties with at least five members of Congress, Metrópoles reported. Zema’s team confirmed to Rádio Itatiaia that no invitation came.
Will Lula debate on Globo?
Workers’ Party chief Edinho Silva said on 28 September that Lula will skip the 1 October debate unless the format allows a direct clash with Flávio Bolsonaro.
Sources: CNN Brasil (Caio Junqueira), 29 Sep 2026; CNN Brasil, Datafolha, 24 Sep 2026; Metrópoles, 28 Sep 2026; CartaCapital, 28 Sep 2026; Diário do Poder, 28 Sep 2026; Rádio Itatiaia, 24 Sep 2026; O Antagonista, 29 Sep 2026; Agenda do Poder, 28 Sep 2026; Poder360, 28 Sep 2026; Estadão via Jovem Pan, 25 Sep 2026; Money Times, 24 Sep 2026.
In depth
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
Brazil runoff, Sunday, October 25: Brazil runoff date. Latest: Brazil runoff polls, Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.