In the first presidential debate on TV, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) became the obvious target of the other candidates. The current chief executive, in turn, took aim at former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who dodged a question regarding corruption.
The central theme of the debate was respect for women, an arena in which Bolsonaro operates at a disadvantage. The issue was raised by women candidates, Simone Tebet (MDB) and Soraya Thronicke (União Brasil), but it ruled the discussions after an attack by the president on journalist Vera Magalhães. In addition to Simone and Soraya, Ciro Gomes (PDT) and Lula sympathized with Vera. The debate also had the participation of Felipe D'Ávila (Novo).
The event was organized in a collective effort between Folha, UOL, and TV channels Bandeirantes and Cultura, and lasted almost three hours. Lula and Bolsonaro were the last to confirm their presence in the debate — after days of uncertainty in the campaigns.
According to the latest Datafolha poll, released this month, Lula is currently leading with 47% of voting intentions, compared to 32% for Bolsonaro and 7% for Ciro.
In addition to the duels between Lula and Bolsonaro, there was also a clash between Ciro and PT ( Workers Party)***. Tebet was one of the president's main critics in the debate, but she didn't spare Lula either. The Chief Executive kept calm in the confrontations with opponents but lost his temper when asked a question by Vera regarding vaccination.
"Vera, I expected no less from you. I think you go to bed thinking about me, you have some kind of crush on me. You can't take sides in a debate like this. Make lying accusations about me. You're a disgrace to Brazilian journalism," Bolsonaro told her.
Translated by Cassy Dias