"Corrupt" and "Thug": What Happened Between Lula and Bolsonaro?

Brazilian leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his conservative rival Flávio Bolsonaro exchanged a torrent of insults and accusations.

During their first debate on Sunday, one week before the second round of the presidential election.

Bolsonaro won the first round of the presidential election held on October 4 after securing 47% of the votes compared to Lula's 45%, as the latter seeks to win a fourth non-consecutive term.

The atmosphere quickly became charged in this first confrontation, which took place at the studio of TV Bandeirantes in São Paulo.

Lula visibly distanced himself from Bolsonaro, stating that he wanted to "distance himself from a militia member," referring to alleged links between the parliamentarian and parallel police criminal groups controlling large favelas in Rio de Janeiro.

The son of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) responded by showing the word "corrupt" written on his palm, referencing Lula's corruption conviction that led to his imprisonment in 2018 and 2019, before it was overturned.

After Bolsonaro portrayed First Lady Rosângela da Silva as a source of excessive public spending, Lula addressed his rival saying: "A natural-born liar and thug." Bolsonaro replied: "Brazil will retire you."

Lula repeatedly demanded clarifications regarding an investigation into suspected corruption involving Flávio Bolsonaro related to the funding of a film about his father.

Bolsonaro refused to answer, prompting the leftist president to call him a "clown," while the right-wing candidate countered by mentioning corruption suspicions surrounding one of Lula's sons nicknamed "Lulinha."

Lula invoked the memory of Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup to cling to power following his electoral defeat four years ago.

Addressing the elder Bolsonaro, he said: "Vote for me, Bolsonaro. You know your son, and you know I am better than him."