Lula and Bolsonaro face each other in a tense face-to-face before the second round of the elections in Brazil

MADRID, 17 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The candidates for the Presidency of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro, have exchanged insults and accusations of corruption during a tense televised face-to-face debate in the framework of the campaign for the second round of elections to be held on October 30 .

This debate has been the first time that both candidates have met face to face, so they have attacked each other throughout the meeting, since on previous occasions they were accompanied by the presidential candidates who were ruled out in the first lap.

The main topics of the debate have been poverty, the coronavirus pandemic and corruption, with the aim of wearing down the adversary and ensuring the support of voters.

The former president and leader of the Workers' Party (PT), Lula da Silva, has started the debate by criticizing the current president for his management during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this sense, she has criticized the delay in vaccine purchases and the high number of deaths recorded in the country.

"You are a liar, the king of 'fake news,'" Lula declared. "You discredited vaccines, you made fun of people who die from lack of oxygen. No one in the world made fun of the pandemic and death like you ", she has criticized her.

For his part, Bolsonaro has revived the corruption scandals of the PT, responding that his opponent "did nothing for the country": "He only diverted public funds for his pocket and that of his friends."

When the president began to question Lula about the scandals involving the state oil giant, the leftist leader tried to change the subject, unsuccessfully, spending too much time responding. The time had to be managed by the candidates, so he gave Bolsonaro five minutes in a row at the end of the face-to-face.

Lula won the first round of the elections with 48 percent of the vote, while Bolsonaro got 43 percent of the ballots on October 2.

According to the polls, Lula continues to lead the presidential race, although the polls indicate tighter results than in the first round.