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Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro will face President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in their first head-to-head televised debate with a largely defensive strategy, according to media reports, as polls show the pair locked in a statistical dead heat ahead of the October 25 runoff.
The right-wing senator's campaign has drawn up three strategic objectives for the debate, which broadcaster Band will host on the evening of October 18, O Globo reported.
The Liberal Party (PL) right-wing candidate's team reportedly fears a defeat in the encounter and will aim for a "zero draw", while also planning provocations intended to unsettle the leftist incumbent of the Workers' Party (PT).
The debate will be the first direct confrontation between the two candidates in the campaign. Bolsonaro, the eldest son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, agreed to take part only after Lula confirmed his attendance, backing down from his earlier position.
Brasil 247 reported that the decision to go into the studio had caused deep apprehension among some of Bolsonaro’s collaborators, with concerns raised over his preparedness for live debate situations.
The latest survey by pollster Quaest put Bolsonaro on 46% of voting intentions against 44% for Lula, a gap that leaves the race virtually even once the margin of error is considered.
Rejection rates for both men were almost identical, the survey showed, with 54% of respondents saying they would never vote for Bolsonaro and 53% saying the same of Lula.
Bolsonaro holds a wider advantage among middle-class voters earning between two and five minimum wages, who make up 37% of the sample, leading by 55% to 40%, Folha de S.Paulo reported in its breakdown of poll results.
His lead is broader still among voters in Brazil's south, who account for 14% of the sample, at 57% to 35%, and among evangelicals, who represent 30%, at 62% to 29%, the newspaper said.
However, his support among evangelicals slipped by seven points, a movement Folha said fell within the four-percentage-point margin of error for that segment.
Folha columnist Elio Gaspari argued in a separate piece that Lula's situation had worsened and that the president sorely needed the debates.
Bolsonaro won 47% of the vote in the first round on October 4, against 45% for Lula.
A subsequent Datafolha poll gave the senator 52% of valid votes, compared with 48% for the president, Folha reported.
The senator has also secured the backing of several smaller parties ahead of the runoff, a sign that his campaign is gathering momentum and an early indication of what a governing coalition could look like should he win, Reuters reported.
Centre-right and right-wing parties lined up behind Bolsonaro after he exceeded expectations in the first round, as striking deals with Brazil's fragmented Congress is seen as key to passing legislation in the country.
The Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), the country's most traditional party, which stayed neutral in the first round, has split over the runoff, with 17 of its state branches siding with Bolsonaro and 10 backing Lula, Infobae reported.
The party of former presidents Jose Sarney, Itamar Franco and Michel Temer is currently part of Lula's governing coalition, but part of its regional structure has leaned towards the PL senator, the outlet said.
Speaking at a gathering of business associations in Sao Paulo on October 13, Bolsonaro linked Lula's government to corruption, debt, public spending, femicides and "widespread violence."
He told business leaders he would cut taxes, government spending and bureaucracy, and pledged measures to strengthen the rule of law.
Bolsonaro also took aim at Supreme Court Justice Flavio Dino, who served as justice minister in Lula's government before joining the court.
While Bolsonaro's campaign heads into the debate seeking to protect a narrow lead, the outcome of the runoff remains open, with surveys suggesting neither candidate has a decisive edge with nine days to go before the vote.