Lula da Silva says "I will not allow a militiaman to call me ‘nine fingers’" after finger remark

During a Friday debate two days before Brazil’s presidential runoff, right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro taunted President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva about the finger Lula lost in a workplace accident. Lula refused the insult and invoked allegations that his opponent has ties to paramilitary groups in Rio de Janeiro. Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, then apologized while asking Lula to apologize to Brazilians affected by insecurity. The exchange came as the candidates discussed the economy, infrastructure and regional development, and as a Datafolha poll showed them tied at 50% of voting intentions. The runoff’s outcome could move Latin America’s largest nation toward the regional right or preserve a left-wing government.