Brazil's presidential candidates hold debate without stabbed front-runner

Record ID: 1355674

  • Title: Brazil's presidential candidates hold debate without stabbed front-runner
  • Date: 10th September 2018
  • Summary: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL (SEPTEMBER 09, 2018) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF CANDIDATE HENRIQUE MEIRELLES IN TELEVISION STUDIO AHEAD OF DEBATE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) CANDIDATE HENRIQUE MEIRELLES, SAYING: "There's no doubt that candidate (Jair) Bolsonaro suffered from an absolutely reprehensible attack. Candidates cannot be attacked like that by a citizen, we cannot tolerate this. No
  • Embargoed: 24th September 2018 02:07
  • Keywords: Ciro Gomes Henrique Meirelles debate president Sao Paulo Brazil candidates election Jair Bolsonaro Geraldo Alckmin stabbed
  • Location: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
  • City: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA0018WWO0G3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Brazil's presidential hopefuls held a TV debate on Sunday (September 09), without frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro after the far-right candidate was stabbed whilst on the campaign trail.
    The attack on Bolsonaro is a dramatic twist in what is already Brazil's most unpredictable election since the country's return to democracy three decades ago. Corruption investigations have jailed scores of powerful businessmen and politicians, and alienated infuriated voters.
    Bolsonaro could take two months to fully recover, affecting his campaign commitments ahead of the October 07 vote and possibly throwing open the race.
    Speaking before the debate, Henrique Meirelles from the conservative Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) spoke out against the attack on Bolsonaro.
    Third-placed centrist Geraldo Alckmin said now was the time to take the presidential race away from Bolsonaro's stabbing to the issues facing Brazilians.
    Bolsonaro has for years angered many Brazilians with extreme statements on race, gender and sexual preference, but is also seen by his many supporters as an outsider who could clean up a broken system.
    Many believe that the stabbing attack may bolster Bolsonaro's electoral fortunes. Ahead of the debate, leftists Ciro Gomes and Guilherme Boulos lamented Bolsonaro was not present with his rivals to present their respective visions for Brazil.
    Surveys consistently give Bolsonaro, a member of the Social Liberal Party, around 22 percent in simulated first-round votes. However, those polls find he would badly lose to most rivals in the likely event of a runoff, which takes place if no candidate wins a majority in the first ballot.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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