Rallies in three cities on the eve of the debate
Supporters of both presidential camps took to the streets on Sunday, the same day the two candidates prepared for their first televised encounter of the runoff. Crowds backing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, dressed in Brazil's yellow, green and blue, filled Paulista Avenue in the financial heart of Sao Paulo, where the candidate rode a float before delivering an address. Backers of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, wearing the red associated with his Workers' Party, gathered in the plaza of government buildings in Brasilia, and students supporting the president demonstrated against Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro.[S1]
A tight race and a large pool of absent voters
Surveys point to a close contest in the October 25 runoff. Bolsonaro enters with a slight edge after finishing almost two percentage points ahead of Lula in the first round held on October 4. Both campaigns are now trying to draw in the 33 million people who did not vote in that first round, a figure equal to roughly one in five eligible voters.[S1]
The debate is set to start at 8 p.m. local time, 2300 GMT, and will be carried by the broadcaster Band. The final debate of the first round was called off shortly before it was due to begin after Lula and Bolsonaro withdrew.[S1][S4][S5][S6][S7]
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Debates lose their pull as candidates stay away
Televised presidential debates became a fixture of Brazilian democracy after the country's 21-year military dictatorship ended in 1985, but they have shed relevance as front-ranking candidates have increasingly declined to take part.[S1]
Meta dispute adds tension to the final days
With the campaign entering its final week, a dispute over whether Meta's services, including Facebook and Instagram, handled the two candidates fairly has added tension. Lula's camp complained that his Instagram account and posts had been limited, and Folha de S.Paulo cited internal Meta messages that confirmed the restrictions while noting the platform had suggested Bolsonaro's profile and WhatsApp channel to users. Meta acknowledged worldwide technical problems but denied any political favoritism, calling allegations that it backs one side untrue.[S1]
