Flávio Bolsonaro admitted he was wrong to oppose extending maternity leave and apologized to Lula for a personal insult during a heated debate.

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Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro apologized to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during a televised debate after Lula challenged him over his past opposition to extending maternity leave, sparking a heated exchange over social welfare, poverty and personal attacks.

RELATED: Lula Pledges Universal Full-Day Schooling in Brazil

Flávio Bolsonaro, who represents the Liberal Party (PL), acknowledged that his earlier vote was a mistake and said he would take a different position today. He also apologized for calling Lula “nine fingers,” a reference to the president’s missing finger, but followed the apology by demanding that Lula answer for his government’s record on poverty and social assistance.

The confrontation unfolded during the debate’s second segment, after Lula requested a right of reply over remarks he considered offensive. The production team had yet to rule on the request when the candidates resumed their exchanges.

Lula chose social policy as the subject of his question and returned to an issue he said Flávio Bolsonaro had left unanswered in the previous debate. He challenged his opponent to explain why he had been the only state legislator in Rio de Janeiro to vote against extending maternity leave.

Qual a justificativa para votar contra a licença-maternidade? Contra o direito das mulheres e da família? Explique, Flávio Bolsonaro. pic.twitter.com/17ibHC7knP

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 24, 2026

Text Reads: What is the justification for voting against maternity leave? Against the rights of women and the family? Explain, Flávio Bolsonaro.

Flávio Bolsonaro defended his earlier decision by saying he had believed the measure could make employers less willing to hire women. He acknowledged that he had been wrong, adding that marriage and having two children had changed his perspective.

He said he now understood the importance of mothers staying close to their children and would support extending maternity leave beyond 180 days where possible. He maintained that he would vote differently today.

Lula dismissed the explanation, arguing that Flávio Bolsonaro had failed to support the measure when he had the opportunity and was now changing his position as women became more politically active and fought for their rights.

The president then challenged his rival over the term “Bolsa Farelo,” which Flávio Bolsonaro had used to disparage Bolsa Família, Brazil’s income-transfer program. Lula called the expression disrespectful to poor people, arguing that those removed from economic hardship often treated the poor as though they had no value.

The exchange escalated when Lula responded to Flávio Bolsonaro’s use of the nickname “nine fingers.” The president explained that he had lost a finger at age 17 while working the night shift at a factory, saying he had needed the job to afford food.

“I will not allow a militiaman to call me ‘nine fingers,’” Lula declared. He also accused Flávio Bolsonaro of never having worked, alleging that the first job recorded in his rival’s employment record was a fictitious position arranged by his father.

Flávio Bolsonaro offered an apology, saying he had not intended to offend Lula with the remark. He then turned the criticism back on the president, demanding that Lula apologize to people experiencing homelessness and recipients of Bolsa Família.

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Una publicación compartida por teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)

Flávio Bolsonaro claimed that the number of people living on the streets had nearly doubled under Lula’s current government, citing a figure of 199,000 people as the starting point. He also accused the president of neglecting Bolsa Família beneficiaries for four years and addressing their concerns only 17 days before the election.

The candidate criticized a recent adjustment to the benefit, claiming the increase amounted to three Brazilian reais a day — enough, he quipped, to buy three eggs.

The exchange brought the candidates’ competing arguments over social policy into sharp focus. Lula pressed Flávio Bolsonaro to account for his legislative record on maternity leave, while his opponent sought to shift scrutiny toward the government’s handling of homelessness and income support.

Lula promises to expand full-day schooling and student aid as Flávio Bolsonaro challenges his education record and attacks his family.

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pledged to bring full-day schooling to every school through the secondary level if re-elected, while opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro accused his government of cutting education funding and attacked the president’s family over online gambling.

RELATED: Datafolha Poll Shows Lula and Bolsonaro Tied at 50% Ahead of Runoff

The exchange during an education segment of the presidential debate centered on extended school hours, student assistance and childcare before turning into a personal confrontation over jogo do tigrinho, an online gambling game.

Lula, of the Workers’ Party (PT), challenged Bolsonaro to explain his plans for full-day schooling. Bolsonaro, of the Liberal Party (PL), responded that he would deliver what the current government had failed to achieve, accusing Lula’s administration of cutting federal funding for the program and attempting to conceal the reductions.

Enseñanza de tiempo integral enfrenta a Lula y Bolsonaro en el debate

🏫 Lula se comprometió a "concluir en el próximo mandato el 100% de las escuelas de tiempo integral en este país hasta la enseñanza media".

🎓 Defendió su gestión y destacó la creación del ProUni. También… pic.twitter.com/DHaNmtcXCo

— teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) October 24, 2026

Text Reads: Full-Day Schooling Pits Lula Against Bolsonaro in Debate
Lula committed to “concluding in the next term 100% of full-day schools in this country up to secondary education.”
He defended his administration and highlighted the creation of ProUni. He also denounced the conditions in which he received the presidency regarding education.

Bolsonaro then shifted the discussion to online gambling, accusing Lula of being responsible for the rise of jogo do tigrinho. He claimed the game was created and authorized in 2022 by those now in government and alleged that its cancellation was being pursued only as the election approached. He also invoked the nicknames Lulinha and Tigrinho in referring to the president’s sons.

Lula responded by pointing to his party’s record on education since it first took office in 2003. He credited former education ministers Fernando Haddad and Camilo Santana with leading what he described as a transformation of Brazil’s education system. If re-elected, he said, he would ensure that all schools offered full-day schooling through the secondary level.

He also pledged to expand Pé de Meia, a financial assistance program designed to keep students in school, making it available to all secondary students and extending it to university students. Lula said the program had helped prevent 66% of participating students from dropping out, arguing that no young person should have to abandon their education.

“Não existe nenhum país do mundo que conseguiu se desenvolver sem antes investir na Educação. A gente tem mais universidades, IFs e escola em tempo integral. A gente cuidou da educação como jamais tinha sido cuidada na história desse país"

– Lula no debate da Globo…

— União Brasileira das/dos Estudantes Secundaristas (@ubesoficial) October 24, 2026

Text Reads: “There is no country in the world that managed to develop without first investing in Education. We have more universities, IFs, and full-time schools. We took care of education like it had never been taken care of in the history of this country” – Lula in the Globo debate

The president further recalled that his administration had inherited 5,600 stalled projects involving daycare centers, schools and federal institutes from the previous government. He contrasted those unfinished projects with the civic-military school model promoted by his predecessors, which he also described as incomplete.

Bolsonaro rejected claims that he intended to abolish Pé de Meia, calling the allegation a falsehood spread by his opponent’s campaign. He pledged to maintain the program and cited measures taken under the administration of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, including the cancellation of nearly 99% of the debt owed by students who had completed higher education and a 33% teacher salary increase, which he described as the largest in history.

The opposition candidate also proposed a childcare subsidy for mothers unable to work because they lacked access to daycare. He said more than one million children had no place in the public childcare system and pledged to allow families to enroll them in private facilities where public places were unavailable.

On full-day schooling, Bolsonaro proposed using the additional hours for vocational training and instruction in technology, artificial intelligence and application development. He argued that keeping children closer to school would put them farther from crime.

The candidates presented contrasting approaches to education, with Lula emphasizing universal full-day schooling and expanded financial support for students, while Bolsonaro focused on childcare subsidies and vocational training alongside accusations over education funding and the president’s family.