When asked on Wednesday whether he would appear at debates, Mr Bolsonaro did not answer. Mr Bolsonaro’s hands-off strategy poses a major problem for Mr Haddad, who faces an uphill battle to unify opposition to the poll-leader. Mr Haddad’s campaign on Wednesday asked Brazil’s election tribunal to declare Mr Bolsonaro and Mr Mourao ineligible from running over alleged irregularities with their billboard publicity. Mr Bolsonaro hit back by saying the attempt was emblematic of the “hopelessness” of his opponents. A 63-year-old, seven-term congressman, Mr Bolsonaro has successfully pitched himself as the anti-establishment candidate, appealing to voters fed up with political graft and violent crime.

Source: The Irish Times October 17, 2018 19:30 UTC