Lula and Bolsonaro trade economic jabs in final Brazilian debate

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro finished their campaign debates with a 50 percent tie in the latest polling, a result that erases the four-point advantage Bolsonaro held two weeks prior. The final televised encounter took place in Rio de Janeiro on Friday, just 48 hours before the Sunday runoff.

The exchange focused on fiscal policy and infrastructure. Lula criticized his opponent's plan to cut public spending, comparing the strategy to the austerity measures of Argentina's President Javier Milei. Bolsonaro countered by arguing that Lula is leaving the country bankrupt. "I'll have the same job here [as Milei in Argentina] because you're leaving the country bankrupt," Bolsonaro stated.

The candidates also clashed over the cost of living and organized crime. Bolsonaro accused the incumbent of pushing families into debt and failing to control criminal expansion. Lula, who served as a metalworker before entering politics, responded with a personal critique. "He doesn't know what hunger is," Lula said. Bolsonaro retorted by asking, "Why are things so expensive?"

Tensions flared when Bolsonaro used the nickname "Nine Fingers" for Lula. The term references an accident that cost the 80-year-old president a fingertip. Lula demanded an apology, which Bolsonaro eventually offered. The exchange highlighted the personal friction that persisted despite a generally more diplomatic tone than their first debate.

Lula then labeled Bolsonaro a vigilante, citing allegations of ties to paramilitary groups in Rio de Janeiro. Bolsonaro responded by classifying such groups as "narcoterrorists." A third contentious moment involved the mother of a five-year-old killed in a shootout where the police officer's lawyer was Bolsonaro. The senator maintained that his client was not guilty.

A Datafolha institute survey published on Thursday places both candidates at 50 percent. This deadlock follows the opening round of voting on October 4, where Bolsonaro finished first with 47 percent of the vote against Lula's 45 percent. Both men are scheduled to campaign in the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo before the final count on Sunday.