TV Globo cancelled Brazil’s final presidential debate on 1 October after Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro did not attend. The broadcaster cited legal uncertainty arising from court decisions affecting the format. Bolsonaro objected to a ruling barring an empty seat for an absent candidate. The first round remains scheduled for 4 October, with polls showing a close possible runoff.
TV Globo, Brazil’s television broadcaster, cancelled the final presidential debate planned for 1 October before the election. The broadcaster cited legal uncertainty. The cancellation removed the candidates’ last scheduled televised encounter in the closing days of the campaign.[1], [2]
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his main challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro, did not attend. Lula instead appeared in a podcast interview. Globo said electoral-court and Supreme Court decisions affecting the programme’s format had created legal uncertainty over holding the debate.[1]
Flávio Bolsonaro objected to a court decision barring an empty lectern or seat for an absent candidate. He called it censorship and accused electoral authorities of protecting Lula. The allegation about the authorities’ motives was Bolsonaro’s political accusation.[1]
The first round of voting is scheduled for 4 October. Lula, who is 80, holds a small lead in first-round opinion polls. Surveys point to a close contest with Flávio Bolsonaro in a possible runoff on 25 October. Those findings describe voter preferences before polling day, with the possible second-round contest still conditional on the first-round result.[1]
