Lula and Bolsonaro Skip Debate Before Brazil Elections

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and opposition candidate Flavio Bolsonaro's refusal to participate in a scheduled television debate before the first round of the presidential elections deprived 158 million voters of watching their confrontation.

The debate organized by TV Globo, the most widely circulated network in the country, was scheduled for Thursday evening and provided the last opportunity for the leading presidential candidates to face off before polling stations open on Sunday.

The cancellation marks the first time in 20 years that the leading candidates in Brazil have refused any public confrontation. Other media institutions and business groups have organized debates with other candidates since August 23.

Lula said on Wednesday that he would not attend the TV Globo debate, which was supposed to include Bolsonaro and two other candidates. Hours before the event was set to begin in Rio de Janeiro, Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, also withdrew.

The network stated in a statement that the debate was canceled because of two decisions, one from the country's electoral court and the other from the Brazilian Supreme Court, which caused a state of "legal uncertainty" regarding the event.

The first decision ordered TV Globo to remove an empty seat that was reserved for President Lula, who would have been the subject of questions from his present opponents. The second decision forced the television network to invite candidate Renan Santos, a critic of the president and a leading opposition candidate.

Analysts say that Lula and Bolsonaro have followed a strategy of avoiding direct confrontations on stage before the first round of voting.

They are likely to face each other during the three weeks leading up to the runoff on October 25 if there is a runoff.