Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) (AFP) – Right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's main rival in the Brazilian elections, canceled his participation in a television debate at the last minute on Thursday and accused the electoral court of "censorship."

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 18:00

The son of former president Jair Bolsonaro made the announcement two hours before the scheduled start of the debate on TV Globo, the country's largest network.

The leftist Lula had already declined the invitation to the traditional debate.

Flávio would debate three other candidates with no chance of winning on Sunday.

"I have just made the decision not to go to the Globo debate due to the censorship imposed on the event by the Superior Electoral Court," wrote Flávio Bolsonaro on the social network X.

Shortly before, the electoral court had ruled that TV Globo could not leave, as planned, an empty chair on the set to represent Lula's absence, according to a resolution to which AFP had access.

Lula maintains a slight advantage in the polls in the first round, but the two favorites are practically tied in an eventual runoff on October 25.

According to a Datafolha poll published on Thursday night, the leftist leads with 48% of the votes, compared to 45% for his rival in a second round.

© 2026 AFP

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