Brazil’s presidential debate fails to sway voters

World Today

The two contenders vying to be Brazil’s next president debated the issues Tuesday night, but the verbal sparring may not have swayed many voters. CCTV America’s Paulo Cabral reports.

Follow Paulo Cabral on Twitter: @paulonumundo

In a race too close to call, there was much expectation surrounding the first televised debate in Brazil’s runoff presidential election. All polls show President Dilma Rousseff and opposition contender Aécio Neves in a dead heat. Both sides came armed with allegations of corruption and attempts to portray themselves as the true champion of the poor, and the best choice to boost the economy. However most analysts said the debate ended without a clear winner.

“The debate counts a lot, but the vast majority of people are waiting for a reason [to pick] for one or for the other one until the very end. Debates are important, but the election won’t be decided throughout debate. It’s much more close to economic issue, political trends, I mean I would say that this election is really tough and the outcome is unpredictable”, said Ruy Braga, a political scientist at the University of Sao Paulo.

Brazilians will have to make up their minds by voting day on Oct. 26.