Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro are due to face each other in São Paulo on October 18. Their first televised runoff debate comes ahead of the runoff vote, with polling showing a narrow contest.

The debate begins at 8 p.m. Brasília time at broadcaster Band’s studios. Both candidates have confirmed their participation, with journalists Adriana Araújo and Eduardo Oinegue moderating.

Poll gap narrows before the debate

The gap between the candidates fell from four to two percentage points in Datafolha’s October 15 poll. That put the race within the margin of error, according to Brazilian news outlet Diário do Centro do Mundo, citing O Globo.

Band’s debate will have three blocks combining presenters’ questions with direct exchanges between the candidates. In the first block, each candidate will have 15 minutes for direct exchanges. Later rounds will include candidate-to-candidate questions and closing remarks.

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Economy and spending dominate preparations

Flávio’s team plans to focus on the economy and public security, CNN Brasil reported. The senator intends to challenge Lula over living costs and deny that he would cut social programmes if elected.

His team opted for shorter preparations while prioritising campaign events, according to CNN Brasil. It also planned to reuse preparation from his October 16 interview with TV Globo. Flávio attended events in Vitória and Salvador on October 17 and was due at a São Paulo rally on October 18.

Lula set aside the weekend for debate preparation with allies, CNN Brasil reported. His team wants him to compare his record with former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration and present proposals for a fourth term. It also plans to challenge Flávio over proposed public-spending cuts and their possible effects on social programmes.

Edinho Silva, president of Lula’s Workers’ Party and coordinator of his re-election campaign, said Lula wanted a direct confrontation. He said the campaign would focus on competing proposals and the potential effects of spending cuts rather than personal attacks.

The contest also extends to social media. An El Periódico article published by LNE.es assessed that Flávio held an advantage on TikTok and Instagram. It described influencers promoting his candidacy while Lula sought to expand his own digital outreach.

New poll and another debate follow

Datafolha plans to interview 2,520 voters in person from October 20 to 22, with results due on October 22. Commissioned by Folha de S.Paulo and Grupo Globo, the survey will have a margin of error of two percentage points.

The questionnaire will measure voting intentions, candidate rejection, possible abstention and whether voters could still change their choice. It will also ask about economic expectations, presidential priorities and the approved end of the six-days-on, one-day-off work schedule.

TV Globo has scheduled another debate for October 23, after its Jornal Nacional news programme. That encounter will take place two days before the runoff.