Brazil's Bolsonaro, Lula head into first debate a week before vote
The televised clash is expected to shape the final week of a tight race, with polls showing Bolsonaro narrowly ahead and 33 million voters still undecided.
- On Sunday, October 18, 2026, at seven p.m. ET, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro will meet for their first face-to-face runoff debate, hosted by TV Band in Brazil.
- After initially declining on Tuesday, October 13, Bolsonaro confirmed his attendance on Wednesday, October 14, following Lula's commitment to participate; the broadcast will last approximately one hour 45 minutes.
- Prediction markets like Polymarket assign Bolsonaro a 76.3% chance of winning, while recent polling from Quaest shows him at 46% against 44% for Lula, indicating a highly competitive contest.
- The Liberal Party candidate's team reportedly fears a defeat and will aim for a "zero draw", while also planning provocations intended to unsettle the Workers' Party incumbent.
- With the final vote scheduled for October 25, 2026, the debate serves as a crucial opportunity to influence voters, as Brazil's next president will oversee Latin America's largest economy for a four-year term.
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From the 20 Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro will debate for the first time, to a week of the second round that will define the next president of Brazil.
Lula and Bolsonaro will face their first debate, a week from the ballotage, while their supporters mobilize in several cities in Brazil.
A week after Brazil returns to the polls to define its next president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro will face this Sunday in their first televised debate, in a presidential race marked by the tight polls and mobilizations of both political sectors.The meeting will take place overnight at TV Band studios in São Paulo, and will mark the first face-to-face between the two candidates, after Lula decided not to participate in the de…
São Paulo, 18 Oct (EFE)-. As far as the eye can see only Brazilian team shirts, caps, flags and posters. The center of São Paulo dyed yellow and green, was filled with euphoria this Sunday a week from the elections, with the desire that the Bolsonaro surname return to [...] La entrada Flávio tine São Paulo in green and yellow with a march hours before the debate with Lula was first published in HolaNews.
Brazil's Bolsonaro, Lula head into first debate a week before vote
Brazilian supporters held rallies for presidential candidates on Sunday as leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro prepared for their first televised debate with just one week left in the campaign.
The front to front is marked for midnight, Lisbon time. Still, protesters camped in Lisbon and Porto intend to remain in protest throughout today.
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