Brazil’s Flavio Bolsonaro bows out of final pre-election debate
Flavio Bolsonaro dropped out of the final televised debate ahead of a tense first round of voting, accusing the electoral court of 'censorship'.
Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro ended his participation in the final pre-election debate on Thursday, just two hours before the program was to air on Brazil's leading TV station, TV Globo. The right-wing senator, son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, cited censorship by the electoral court as the reason for his withdrawal.
Flavio Bolsonaro accused the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) of blocking an empty chair for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the incumbent leftist president, who currently leads the polls. The court's decision also banned candidates from addressing the empty chair during their speaking time. Lula had previously declined to attend the debate, instead opting to appear on a popular podcast.
Recent polls suggest a tight race between the two candidates, with a Datafolha institute poll giving Lula 48% and Bolsonaro 45% of voting intentions in the possible runoff on October 25th.
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