Lula, Bolsonaro in Final Debate Before Runoff

The two candidates for Brazil's presidency met Friday in their last debate before Sunday's runoff vote.

The debate took place in Rio de Janeiro and aired on TV Globo. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, argued over the economy, infrastructure and regional development. Lula criticized his opponent's plan to cut public spending, comparing it to the approach of Argentina's President Javier Milei. "I'll have the same job here [as Milei in Argentina] because you're leaving the country bankrupt," Bolsonaro said.

Bolsonaro accused Lula of letting organized crime expand, pushing families into debt and failing to lower the cost of living. Lula questioned his opponent's experience. "He doesn't know what hunger is," Lula said. Bolsonaro replied, "Why are things so expensive?" Bolsonaro also said, "He doesn't know Brazil." The exchange grew tense when Bolsonaro used the nickname "Nine Fingers" for Lula, a reference to an accident Lula had as a metalworker. Lula asked for an apology, and Bolsonaro gave one. Lula then called his rival a vigilante, citing allegations of ties to paramilitary groups in Rio de Janeiro. Bolsonaro said he would classify such groups as "narcoterrorists." A third heated exchange involved the mother of a five-year-old killed in a shootout that included a police officer whose lawyer was Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro said he does not believe his client was guilty.

The race has tightened. Bolsonaro finished first in the opening round on October 4 with 47 percent to Lula's 45 percent. A Datafolha survey released Thursday showed both candidates at 50 percent, erasing the four-point lead Bolsonaro held in polls from two weeks earlier.

Both candidates are scheduled to join supporters on the streets of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo for a final campaign push before Sunday's vote.