Berliner Tageblatt - Brazil election debate chaos sparks censorship row

An electoral judge ruled that the Globo broadcaster could not show an empty chair reserved for Lula, or allow opponents to direct questions at him in his absence, in the final debate ahead of Sunday's first-round election.

The last-minute ruling Thursday night, and a second decision from a Supreme Court justice forcing Globo to include a candidate that had not been invited, led Lula's main rival, right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro to pull out, slamming "censorship."

Globo promptly cancelled the debate, citing "legal uncertainty" and "undue interference".

"The empty chair, a symbol of candidates' disdain for accountability, has a long tradition in Brazil," the Folha newspaper said in an editorial Friday slamming "a desperate scramble to favor the incumbent."

Lula's decision to skip the final debate was seen as a bid to avoid a pile-on from other, non-leftist participants.

Instead, he appeared on a podcast where he said he saw no point in debating someone "unqualified" like Flavio Bolsonaro, a 45-year old senator representing Rio de Janeiro since 2019.

The veteran leftist is facing a fierce election battle from the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who has him in a statistical tie in the polls.

The pair have not faced off in person during the campaign.

Three Brazilian media associations on Friday expressed "deep indignation regarding the judicial intervention in previously established rules" of the debate.

"Unfortunately, judicial overreach has trampled upon citizens' right to access the proposals of candidates," they said in a statement.

In Lula's absence, Flavio Bolsonaro was set to take on three other candidates, all of them polling in the single digits.

Two hours before the debate, an electoral court judge prohibited the displaying of Lula's empty chair, ruling on a request filed by a coalition backing the leader.

At the same time, a Supreme Court judge ruled Globo must include Renan Santos, candidate for the newly formed Missao party, who has been fiercely critical of both Lula and Bolsonaro.

Broadcasters must invite candidates with at least five representatives in Congress; the rest is up to them.

Lula has not commented on accusations that the legal decisions were intended to benefit his campaign.

Edinho Silva, president of Lula's Workers' Party (PT), told journalists that there would be a "direct showdown" between the president and Bolsonaro in debates ahead of an expected runoff election on October 25.

M.Odermatt--BTB