Brazilian Election: Lula and Jair Bolsonaro Finally Square Off in First Presidential Debate

With tensions remaining high in Brazil ahead of a heated presidential election season, candidates seeking the highest office in the land finally squared off in the election's first presidential debates. One of the highlights was the exchange between the two top candidates, former president Lula and President Jair Bolsonaro.

The debates were held at the TV Bandeirantes studios on August 28, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The candidates who participated in the debates include Felipe D'Avila, Lula, Simone Tebet, Jair Bolsonaro, Soraya Thronicke, and Ciro Gomes.

Jair Bolsonaro and Lula Trade Insults as Bolsonaro Supporters Jeered

As expected, the two top polling candidates went at each other. Lula is currently going strong, being the clear favorite according to the polls. However, Jair Bolsonaro has been gaining on him for the past few weeks, though many still predict Lula to win.

The current president frequently took swipes at his main rival, calling the former president and leftist contender as having led the "most corrupt government in Brazil's history." He often called Lula "ex-convict" during the debates, referencing Lula's corruption conviction in 2018. However, his conviction was overturned by the Brazilian Supreme Court, as the judge who presided over the case showed extreme bias against Lula.

Meanwhile, Lula accused Bolsonaro of "destroying" the country and stressed that his conviction has already been overturned by the highest court in the land.

The BBC reported that as the debates were going on, tempers were flaring among the supporters of the various candidates, particularly supporters of President Bolsonaro, whom Lula's team accused of "lacking the necessary maturity to attend the debate."

It was reported that members of Bolsonaro's campaign, as well as supporters, jeered and shouted as Lula spoke. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro's former environmental minister, Ricardo Salles, claimed he almost came to blows with a Lula supporter.

Other Candidates Pile In on Bolsonaro for His Treatment of Women

Another highlight was when candidates piled in on the current president after he attacked journalist Vera Magalhaes live as the debate went on. The journalist asked Bolsonaro whether the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines was affected by disinformation spread by people, including Bolsonaro himself, who had falsely claimed that the vaccine would cause people to develop AIDS faster and also cause "potentially life-altering side effects."

Bolsonaro did not like this question and snapped at Magalhaes, saying that he did not expect anything coming from her and called her an "embarrassment to Brazilian journalism."

Candidate Soraya Thronicke went in to support the journalist and said that Bolsonaro's comments upset her and called him an "example of a man being a pussycat with other men, and coming at us (women) as a big tiger.'"

Other candidates, including Lula and Ciro Gomes, expressed their solidarity with the journalist. Meanwhile, the other female candidate in the debate, Simone Tebet, pointed out that Bolsonaro had always been treating women badly, often insulting them in public. Tebet herself had been called by Bolsonaro an "embarrassment in the Senate."

Tebet asked Bolsonaro directly why he was so angry at women, though Bolsonaro just touted that he had supported laws to protect women, according to the Associated Press.

Political analysts have said that Bolsonaro's attacks on the journalist and his female opponents may cost him. While his supporters support his hardline and aggressive stances, it may alienate independent voters or voters still on the fence.

Currently, one of the demographics the Brazilian president is struggling the most with are women.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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