Organisers cancelled the final high-profile debate in Brazil’s presidential election on Thursday after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the two leading candidates, declined to attend.
Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, had initially planned to participate in the TV Globo debate, the final major campaign event before Sunday’s first-round vote. He withdrew hours before the event after Lula, who has skipped all debates this year, confirmed he would not attend.
“My only opponent in this campaign is Lula,” Flavio said earlier this week. “He’s the one I want to debate.”
TV Globo said it cancelled the debate after last-minute court rulings changed previously agreed rules, including restrictions on references to absent candidates.
The cancellation came days before voters are due to cast their ballots and followed the cancellation of two other debates after Lula and Flavio declined to participate.
Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive presidential term, has avoided debates with a field dominated by right-wing candidates. He said in July that he would not participate in debates if they were not useful to the public.
Four right-of-centre candidates author and psychiatrist Augusto Cury, former Goias Governor Ronaldo Caiado, former Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema and Renan Santos had been expected to take part in the TV Globo debate.
Lula instead planned to appear on a podcast at the same time as the scheduled debate.
Televised presidential debates were once a major feature of Brazilian politics following the end of the country’s 21-year military dictatorship in 1985.
