Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his main opponent Flavio Bolsonaro did not participate in the final debate ahead of the first round of the presidential election scheduled for Sunday. Instead, Lula chose to appear on a popular podcast, while Bolsonaro cited 'censorship' by the electoral court as his reason for withdrawing from the debate. Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, made his comments during a live broadcast on his social media channels, referring to a decision that prevented the debate broadcaster from displaying Lula's empty seat on stage.
The debate, organized by TV Globo, was intended to be the last opportunity for the two leading candidates to confront each other before the election. TV Globo announced the cancellation of the debate, stating that two legal rulings from the electoral court and the Supreme Court created 'legal uncertainty' regarding the event.
Lula, who is 80 years old, is projected to have a slight advantage over Bolsonaro in the upcoming first-round vote. However, both candidates are closely matched in projections for a potential runoff on October 25.
On the same day as the cancelled debate, Brazilian police dismissed a bomb threat outside the Supreme Court. A suspect was arrested after attempting to breach the court's security and throwing a backpack onto a bus stop. Authorities investigated the backpack, which contained only personal belongings, according to military police spokesperson Raphael Broocke. The suspect will remain in custody as the investigation continues. The Supreme Court has faced criticism from the political right, particularly regarding the 2025 conviction of ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro related to a coup plot, and is currently involved in a fraud scandal that has affected the final weeks of the presidential campaign.