Brazil’s last presidential TV debate was marked by aggressions and bashing

The debate with the candidates for the presidency of the Republic, which aired on TV Globo on Thursday, Sept. 29, was marked by many accusations and little time to discuss proposals.

The encounter was the last between the presidential candidates before the first round of voting, scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 2.

Candidates Luiz Lula da Silva (PT, left) and Jair Bolsonaro (PL, right), who are doing best in the polls, did not ask each other direct questions but led the discussion by asking follow-up questions, especially in the first block.

In total, there were 19 requests for answers during the debate.

According to the rules of the meeting between the presidential candidates, a candidate had the right to answer for one minute if he was offended or if a lie was told about him.

Bolsonaro was the one who made the most requests, nine, of which five were rejected, and four were granted.

Next came Lula da Silva with six requests, four of which were granted.

The socialist accused Bolsonaro of forming gangs in various circumstances, such as purchasing vaccines against Covid-19.

Bolsonaro demanded a right of reply and accused Lula da Silva’s sons of corruption.

CORRUPTION

Corruption was also an issue raised on other occasions. In one of them, the PT representative said corruption was fought in his government.

“We have set up what we call a transparency portal. Then we created the CGU oversight; then we created the law on access to information,” he said.

Bolsonaro also denied involvement in corruption when accused by Ciro Gomes (PDT) of maintaining “corrupt practices” like the PT governments.

“What a lie, Ciro. Generalized corruption where Ciro? Where? Show me a source of corruption,” he said.

“Accuse me of real estate from 32 years ago, for God’s sake,” he continued.

Bolsonaro denied that government members had received bribes to buy vaccines against Covid-19.

“What did you find out about me? Nothing. What kickbacks? There are no kickbacks,” he said.

“You have nothing against my government, nothing at all. Stop telling lies. Shame on you, Lula da Silva,” he said.

Asked about corruption by candidate Father Kelmon (PTB), Lula da Silva said he had been “acquitted” in all cases.

“I think this candidate is misinformed or reads what he wants. I had 26 false denunciations from a judge who later became a minister in Bolsonaro’s government.”

“I was acquitted in Brazil by the Supreme Court and the UN. I was acquitted in another trial by Justice Gilmar Mendes,” the PT candidate said.

Bolsonaro said that Lula da Silva was convicted of three counts of corruption and that “the process has ceased to exist because [Lula da Silva] has a friend in the Supreme Court STF who said that he must be tried in Brasilia and not in Curitiba.”

The president also said that Lula da Silva “used the poorest people as a maneuvering mass to win votes.”

The president said PT governments have promoted “a robbery” in the country.

“Lula da Silva was the head of a big gang,” he said.

“We cannot continue in the land of robbery,” he added.

Father Kelmon insisted on asking Lula da Silva questions about corruption.

“You are responsible for corruption, you are a convict, and you should not even be here,” he said.

He then called the former president “cynical,” after which the two candidates exchanged words.

Bolsonaro was asked about the so-called ‘secret budget,’ which he said is “managed entirely’, either by the Chamber of Deputies or the Senate.

“From my side, there is no acquiescence to this budget,” he said.

He was also asked about the support of the Centrão voting bloc.

“You can’t pass a law if you don’t have the minimum of contact with them [the Centrão deputies],” Bolsonaro said.

According to him, without the Centrão deputies, “there are still 200 deputies left.”

However, he denied giving up positions in exchange for the group’s support.

“Tell me what service I gave in exchange for the support. You have Ciro Nogueira, who is a political post. The few parliamentarians, like Tereza Cristina, were not in exchange for parliamentary support.”

” In my government, there is no exchange of posts for parliamentary support,” he said.

PRIVATIZATION

Ciro Gomes raised the issue of privatizing Petrobras, which has recently been back on the radar.

The sale of state-owned companies should be “a strategic tool for development projects,” he said.

Ciro cited sectors such as steel production where he believes privatization has been successful in the past.

The PDT candidate said that if elected, he would study the purpose of each state-owned enterprise, without elaborating on the issue.

Soraya Thronicke (União Brasil) said she would not sell Petrobras.

“No, not at first [she would privatize Petrobras]. I would like to know how many state-owned companies have ended up in the hands of the current government.”

“It [Petrobras] is a company that makes a profit, an important activity. We need to talk about those that remain under the table,” she argued.

Simone Tebet (MDB) said in the debate with Felipe D’Ávila (Novo) that her government would be a “partner of the private sector.”

“What is good must remain in the hands of the state; it must take care of people’s health and education,” she said.

“What would become of the agricultural sector if it didn’t have the support of the Bank of Brazil?” she said.

“Caixa Econômica subsidizes the construction of affordable housing. We will privatize loss-making state enterprises, but keep those that are indispensable and doing well,” she concluded.

Lula da Silva said that if elected, he would strengthen BNDES, Caixa Econômica Federal, and the Bank of Brazil “because these are things that work.”

“If there is a state-owned company that is no good, it will be dissolved,” he said in response to a question from Tebet about privatization.

DISCUSSIONS

Faced with mutual accusations of supporting candidates leading in the election polls, the tone eventually escalated.

Soraya asked if Father Kelmon feared “going to hell” due to the pandemic management of President Jair Bolsonaro, to whom the candidate is close.

Bolsonaro accused Soraya of asking for posts in the government.

“The lady would be very much in my favor if I had served her in all the positions she asked me for by letter and signature,” he said when asked about his alleged intention to stage a coup d’état.

The president said Soraya “loves to take positions, lie and turn around,” and “since she did not succeed, she became our enemy.”

He claimed the candidate used his name to get elected senator in 2018.

Soraya countered that “yes, he gave positions that are shared among supporters” and recalled that Bolsonaro had posted a video asking for votes for her in the last elections.

Soraya asked Bolsonaro what he meant when he said that he “will only respect the elections if they are clean,” a statement he made on TV Globo, and whether the president is “planning a coup” if he loses the elections.

Bolsonaro said this was not the round’s topic, which dealt with public security and did not answer any of the questions.

Next, Soraya asked if the president had been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Again, he did not answer.

“I have bought millions of doses of vaccine. Those who wanted to be vaccinated were vaccinated. Those who don’t want to get vaccinated shouldn’t,” he said.

Last year, the Planalto Palace decreed 100-year secrecy of the information contained in the presidential vaccination card.

CULTURE AND EDUCATION

In the free thematic block, the question of cultural policy fell to Fr. Kelman. Asked by Bolsonaro on the subject, he said that culture was “despised” in previous governments.

“There were plays by people without clothes who called it culture,” he said.

“This is the use of public money to promote disrespect for the human body, which should be precious. So it is necessary to invest in the youth so that they acquire the necessary knowledge,” he said.

As the debate drew to a close, Father Kelmon lamented a “lack of respect” among interlocutors.

“We all need catechesis here, including journalists, and not to go around accusing people of being false priests,” he said.

“If you treat a priest like that, imagine what you are doing to the Brazilian people,” he added.