Personal attacks fire up debate before Brazil's run-off vote

Brazil's left-wing President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his right-wing rival, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, have clashed in a debate held one week before the run-off presidential election. Polls suggest the two candidates are neck and neck and the televised debate was hailed as a chance for both to sway undecided voters. But the showdown was marked by personal attacks and analysts have warned that its aggressive tone may increase the abstention rate further. In the first round of voting, held on 4 October, Bolsonaro defied opinion polls by securing a narrow lead over Lula. Sunday's debate was the first of two before the vote. The second is planned for Friday, just two days before polls open.