TV Globo cancels Brazilian presidential debate after court rulings alter rules and candidates withdraw

Judicial rulings alter debate format

TV Globo cancelled its final presidential debate ahead of Sunday's election on Thursday evening, less than an hour before the scheduled 21:30 broadcast from Rio de Janeiro. The network cited legal uncertainty and undue interference following two court rulings delivered shortly before airtime. Under guidelines previously agreed upon by all participating campaigns, the broadcaster intended to maintain an empty lectern for any absent candidate and allow rivals to direct questions toward that position. Judge Estela Aranha of the Superior Electoral Court overturned that setup after an appeal by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's campaign, prohibiting Globo from displaying the empty podium or permitting questions addressed to the absent president.

Inclusion of excluded candidate

In a separate decision, Supreme Federal Court Judge Gilmar Mendes ordered Globo to include Renan Santos, the candidate representing the Missão party. Electoral regulations require broadcasters to invite only candidates whose parties hold at least five seats in the National Congress, whereas Missão holds only one. Santos had been excluded following an earlier debate in which he presented two diapers labeled with the names of Lula and Flávio. Globo stated that the sudden judicial order forced an immediate change to the participant list and disrupted the agreed format.

Frontrunner withdrawals and alternative broadcasts

The legal disputes followed earlier decisions by the two frontrunners to avoid the studio. Lula da Silva announced on Wednesday that he would skip the debate, appearing instead on the Flow video podcast. His live interview drew over 1.7 million concurrent viewers on YouTube on Thursday evening. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party announced his withdrawal shortly after 19:00 on Thursday, less than two and a half hours before airtime, calling the electoral court's restriction censorship and hosting a private live broadcast instead.

I think these debates are unfruitful, they do not produce anything, and they do not lead anywhere. Then people start making jokes. When you are in a debate for the presidency of the republic, it is a more serious matter.

I have just made the decision not to attend the Globo debate due to the censorship imposed on the event by the TSE. The press has to be free and elections clean.

Campaign reactions and polling context

The cancellation marks the first time TV Globo has called off a presidential debate since Brazil returned to democracy in 1985. The original invitation list included Augusto Cury of Avante, Ronaldo Caiado of the PSD, Flávio Bolsonaro, and Lula da Silva. While Santos and Bolsonaro supporters demonstrated in the rain outside the Rio de Janeiro studios, other candidates criticized the judicial interventions. Romeu Zema of the Novo party called the late rulings a disrespect to the law, and Caiado denounced the court decisions on social media. A Datafolha survey of 2,506 voters conducted from 29 September to 1 October placed Lula at 45% of valid votes and Bolsonaro at 40%, with total vote preferences standing at 42% and 38% respectively.

The judiciary has become the tragic protagonist of this election. The cancellation of the debate is proof of a complete contamination of the process, cabinet decisions interfere with candidates, trample rules, and shield the corruption of the PT and Lula.