Magalhães later said Bolsonaro’s attitude was “totally out of control, unnecessary and… harmful to himself.” She said she believes Bolsonaro “doesn’t like being questioned by women”. Bolsonaro’s abusive comments to Magallanes came after he faced criticism for his attitude towards women. The far-right leader defended his government’s support for pro-women laws and claimed that “a large part of women in Brazil love me” for opposing drug legalization. Bolsonaro and former president Lula joined four other candidates in what was the first televised debate ahead of October’s presidential election. The debate focused on a range of issues, including the economy, climate change and the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, but was fueled by personal attacks. Bolsonaro has been forced to go on the defensive over his handling of the economy, the climate crisis and the pandemic. The president claimed Brazil’s economy was “booming”, despite record unemployment under his administration. Meanwhile, Lula, the most popular candidate according to recent polls, has denied corruption charges and defended his innocence. Lula was convicted of corruption in 2017 and surrendered to federal authorities in April 2018 to begin serving a 12-year prison sentence. However, in 2021, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction, allowing him to run for president again. “I was arrested so that you could be elected president, but then I was found innocent. But I will win now to see in one fell swoop what you want to hide so badly!” Lula said in reference to Bolsonaro’s alleged efforts to withhold information and weaken transparency since he took office. Senator Simone Tebet, of Brazil’s Democratic Movement Party and a member of the country’s Covid-19 parliamentary committee, accused Bolsonaro of delaying Covid-19 vaccines and spreading fake news about the virus, a claim the president denied. The three other candidates participating in the debate were Soraya Thronicke of the Brazilian Union Party, former Finance Minister Ciro Gomes of the Democratic Labor Party and political scientist and writer Luis Felipe D’Avila of the Novo party. This will be Lula’s sixth presidential bid with the Brazilian Workers’ Party (PT). He served in the role from 2003 to 2011 and left office with a 90% approval rating after millions of Brazilians were lifted out of poverty during his time in power. However, his good fortune did not last long. After surviving throat cancer in 2011, da Silva was convicted of corruption and money laundering six years later, charges stemming from a wide-ranging investigation into state oil company Petrobras. The first round of Brazil’s presidential election is scheduled for October 2, and officials have warned that the highly contested election could spark unrest. The country’s Supreme Electoral Court Minister Edson Fachin said in June that there was a risk of unrest “more serious” than the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Bolsonaro, who is trailing Lula in the polls, has repeatedly questioned the country’s electoral process and has been particularly critical of the use of electronic ballots — a system implemented in 2000. He has also called on the military to conduct a parallel “public” count of votes. Fachin said electoral authorities would not accept interference from the federal government or the Armed Forces and added that the Organization of American States (OAS) had agreed to be an observer in Brazil’s elections. CNN’s Camilo Rocha and Marcia Reverdosa reported from Sao Paulo and Ivana Kottasova wrote from London.
