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It has come down to the last week of campaigning in Brazil's too-close-to-call presidential election. The contest has picked up steam, with huge crowds of supporters taking to the streets in recent days. And last night, the two candidates, on opposite sides of the political spectrum, exchanged barbs during their first ever face-to-face debate. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: The rallies in Brazil's largest cities were big and filled with an energy that had been missing during the first round of voting earlier this month.
FLAVIO BOLSONARO: (Speaking Portuguese).
KAHN: "Flavio Bolsonaro is coming, and Brazil is going to prevail," screamed the conservative candidate to a huge crowd in Sao Paulo, Sunday, referring to himself, as he always does, in the third person.
UNIDENTIFIED LULA SUPPORTERS: (Singing in Portuguese).
KAHN: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva supporters spent their Sunday on a drizzly Copacabana, packing blocks of the famous beach boulevard in Rio de Janeiro. The excitement of the crowds greatly contrasted an apathetic start to the election that saw as many as 33 million eligible Brazilian voters sitting out the first round.
BRUNO ALVES: But I feel like something's happening. There's a movement brewing.
KAHN: Forty-four-year-old English teacher and Lula fan Bruno Alves.
ALVES: I feel like we still have a chance.
KAHN: That chance would mean the 80-year-old leftist incumbent would have to pick up a substantial number of voters this Sunday. Lula trailed Bolsonaro by nearly 3 million votes in the first round. Many supporters were hoping for a strong showing in last night's debate.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED TV ANCHOR #1: (Speaking Portuguese).
UNIDENTIFIED TV ANCHOR #2: (Speaking Portuguese).
KAHN: As the debate got underway, with anchors greeting the candidates, expectations were low. The loose format allowed both men to meander around the stage, with Bolsonaro often standing right behind Lula, well framed in the camera, disapprovingly nodding his head. Insults as well as accusations of corruption flew between the two, who were allowed direct questioning.
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BOLSONARO: (Speaking Portuguese).
KAHN: "Lula, crime has exploded in Brazil with you," said Bolsonaro, bringing up one of voters' highest concerns. He claimed that 73% of prison inmates had voted for the incumbent. Lula retorted he wished it had been a hundred percent.
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PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA: (Speaking Portuguese).
(LAUGHTER)
KAHN: "That would include your father," said Lula, to laughs from the audience. Bolsonaro's father, Jair, is currently serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup to overturn his 2022 loss to Lula. Flavio Bolsonaro has tried to portray himself as more moderate than his father and, during the debate, spoke often about workers' concerns over high food prices and crime fears. Lula touted his economic successes and warned of Bolsonaro moves to privatize Brazil's public healthcare and slash antipoverty subsidies. One more debate is scheduled before this Sunday's election. Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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