The debate, held on Tuesday night, September 29, focused mainly on state issues. Cleitinho Azevedo of Republicanos was questioned about his relationship with state lawmaker Euclydes Pettersen, who was indicted on suspicion of involvement in alleged fraud involving Brazil’s INSS social security system. Pettersen denied the allegations to Folha in July.
Patrus Ananias of the Workers’ Party faced criticism over the record of former governor Fernando Pimentel, but said he was not there to defend his party colleague. Pimentel was convicted in 2019 of influence peddling and money laundering and was acquitted by electoral courts in 2022. Ananias cited his record as Belo Horizonte mayor in the 1990s and as a minister in Lula’s first government.
Governor Mateus Simões and businessman Flávio Roscoe argued that their candidacies were the only ones capable of keeping the Workers’ Party out of a possible runoff. Both criticised the federal government and backed Flávio Bolsonaro in the national race. Roscoe also referred to the recent Supreme Federal Court crisis. Gabriel Azevedo brought up Ananias’s absence from earlier debates.
A Datafolha poll released Tuesday put Cleitinho at 37% and Ananias at 18%, followed by Alexandre Kalil at 9%, Simões at 6% and Roscoe at 5%. Gabriel Azevedo and Ben Mendes each had 2%, Professor Túlio Lopes 1%, while three other candidates registered no support. In runoff scenarios, Cleitinho led Ananias 52% to 26% and Kalil 51% to 22%.