Election debate cancelled in Brazil, bomb scare outside Supreme Court

Brazilian president and opposition candidate snub the final debate ahead of the presidential election.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his main opponent Flavio Bolsonaro have snubbed a chance at a final debate ahead of the first round of the presidential election on Sunday, while police ruled out a bomb threat outside the country’s Supreme Court.Lula, instead of taking part in the debate, opted to appear on a popular podcast with millions of YouTube subscribers while his rival Bolsonaro accused the electoral court of “censorship” as a reason for his withdrawal.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3A political dynasty? Why the Bolsonaro family dominates Brazil’s right winglist 2 of 3Brazilian government calls for probe into US funding of far-right causeslist 3 of 3Everything you need to know about Brazil’s tight presidential raceend of listBolsonaro, son of the former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, said during a live broadcast on Thursday on his social media channels that his decision not to participate in the debate was due to “censorship imposed by the electoral court”.The right-wing candidate was referring to a decision that barred the debate broadcaster from keeping President Lula’s empty seat on stage.The debate organised by TV Globo, the country’s most popular broadcaster, was set for Thursday and offered a final opportunity for the two presidential frontrunners to face off before polls open.TV Globo said in a statement that the debate was cancelled because two rulings, one from the country’s electoral court and the other from the Supreme Court, had created “legal uncertainty” about the event.Lula, 80, will face off against Bolsonaro in a first-round vote on Sunday, with polls giving him a slight advantage.The pair are neck and neck in projections for a potential runoff on October 25, however.Bomb scareOn the same day of the cancelled debate, Brazilian police ruled out a bomb threat outside the Supreme Court.