Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on October 20 challenged right-wing candidate and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro to release his personal records ahead of the presidential runoff, as corruption emerged as a central issue in the campaign.
Speaking at a campaign event in Maranhao state, Lula said he was ready to release the banking, tax and phone records of himself and his family, provided Bolsonaro agrees to do the same.
“I am willing to let the Brazilian people see who the real thieves and corrupt figures in this country are. I want to see whether he [Bolsonaro] has the courage to release his bank and phone records,” the left-wing president said.
The challenge comes as both campaigns grapple with the fallout from a corruption scandal involving former banker Daniel Vorcaro, who has been discredited, with the allegations implicating influential individuals and organizations across Brazil.
According to observers, Bolsonaro is the only major presidential candidate with a direct link to Vorcaro. However, the scandal has also hit Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, a body that has been a target of right-wing criticism since it sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio's father, to 27 years in prison for his role in a coup plot after his 2022 defeat by Lula.
Concern about corruption has become a potent issue that the right is seeking to exploit, while Lula tries to turn that momentum to his advantage in the final weeks of the race.
Concerns about US interference also hang over the election, following a series of moves by President Donald Trump's administration into Brazil's internal affairs. Reports that social media company Meta took steps to limit Lula's online campaign have led to a legal complaint.
Meta said on October 20 that it had taken measures to ensure equal treatment of both candidates in a filing with Brazil's Supreme Court. Meta added that any automatic restrictions on any campaign's ad accounts would be reviewed within two hours until Sunday's second-round vote.
AFP, citing an unnamed source, reported that Lula would seek to have Bolsonaro removed from the race on the grounds that Meta engaged in “algorithmic manipulation” favorable to his rival.
