\n
<\/p>\n
SAO PAULO: Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sparred over the cost of living and traded personal attacks on Friday in the last presidential debate before Sunday\u2019s runoff, as both candidates sought to win over undecided voters amid a tight race.<\/p>\n
Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, led Lula in the first round of the election earlier this month, but opinion polls have shown the two candidates about even this week after the gap between them narrowed.<\/p>\n
Bolsonaro and Lula repeated their campaign proposals during the over two-hour debate hosted by Globo, Brazil\u2019s most-watched TV channel, focusing on themes such \u200cas the cost \u200cof living, welfare and security, while exchanging allegations of corruption.<\/p>\n
Lula, who \u200cis seeking his fourth term after winning back the presidency in 2022, has defended his government\u2019s above-inflation minimum wage increases and stressed that his administration helped millions of Brazilians to escape hunger. The president said the younger Bolsonaro \u201cis like students studying for college entrance exams. They can memorize things, but they can\u2019t learn.\u201d He also said that \u201cin the gated community where Bolsonaro lives, people don\u2019t go hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bolsonaro responded by saying food prices for Brazilians rose during Lula\u2019s administration, and he criticized a tax reform approved by the current government, \u200cprojecting the new rules would raise the tax \u200cburden on consumers.<\/p>\n
\u201cLula doesn\u2019t even remember the last time he went grocery shopping because he lives \u200cin a luxury palace now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two candidates mostly limited the discussion to pre-established \u200cthemes in the first few segments of the debate, toning down the personal attacks that marked the only previous debate in the campaign between the two.<\/p>\n
At one point, Bolsonaro apologized to Lula after saying the president gives to Brazilians with one hand but \u201ctakes away with nine fingers.\u201d \u200cLula lost his left little finger in an accident while working as a lathe operator in a factory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will not accept some rich guy, with a highly questionable political practice, calling me \u2018nine fingers,\u2019\u201d the incumbent said, demanding a retraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cLula, if I offended you by calling you \u2018nine fingers,\u2019 then I sincerely apologize, I sincerely apologize,\u201d Bolsonaro said. But he added: \u201cWill you apologize to Brazilians suffering from insecurity … in debt?\u201d<\/p>\n
The discussion heated up in the last minutes of the debate, when both candidates were allowed to interact without moderation, as Lula and Bolsonaro sought to link each other to the fraud involving lender Banco Master.<\/p>\n
Lula pressed Bolsonaro on alleged links to the bank\u2019s jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro, and Bolsonaro questioned Lula about accusations involving his son and a pension fraud.<\/p>\n
The debate was one of the campaign\u2019s final events, as Brazilian electoral law bars the candidates from broadcasting radio and TV campaign advertising starting on Saturday. They can still hold rallies until the final hours of the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n