The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has lashed out at his main rival in the first round of the elections this Sunday, Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula claims that the candidate lacks professional experience and that his entry into politics occurred thanks to the support of organized crime.
During his speech, Lula da Silva has asked how the son of the former Brazilian president can be taken seriously if "he has never worked in his life" and "was elected as a councilor at 21 with the support of organized crime."
"Let someone tell me what that person has to offer. Nothing, he has no content," the Brazilian leader insisted this Wednesday at a meeting with content creators, according to the G1 portal.
The accusations made by Lula are not new. For years, there have been suspicions about Flávio Bolsonaro's alleged ties to illegal armed groups. When he was a councilor in the state of Rio de Janeiro, he included relatives of Adriano da Nóbrega, identified as the criminal leader of one of these militias, in his team.
During that same period as a councilor, he also awarded decorations to police officers investigated for their alleged links to these organizations. Furthermore, it was recently revealed that in 2023 he allocated funds of 34,000 euros to a project requested by Robson Calixto, alias "Peixe," sentenced in 2026 to nine years in prison for his involvement in the murder of councilor Marielle Franco.
Lula declines to attend the televised debate of Globo
In parallel, Lula da Silva's campaign team has announced that the president will not attend the televised debate that the Globo network will broadcast on the night of this Thursday. Flávio Bolsonaro will attend that event, along with other candidates such as Ronaldo Caiado, Augusto Cury, and Romeu Zema.
According to several polls, Lula faces the first round on Sunday with a slight lead over Flávio Bolsonaro, with 39% of voting intention compared to 34% of his opponent. For the second round, scheduled for October 25, demographic studies point to a scenario of a technical tie.