Lula, Bolsonaro both snub final debate before Brazil election

Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro on Thursday bowed out of the final debate ahead of elections pitting him against leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who also declined to attend.

The leftist incumbent opted to appear on a popular podcast with millions of YouTube subscribers instead, while his right-wing rival accused the electoral court of "censorship" to justify his withdrawal.

Both candidates have doubled down on dirty tactics in the final stretch of the polarized campaign, which has featured a bitter argument about Brazil's beloved patron saint.

In recent days, Lula drew the ire of Bolsonaro by referring to rumors circulating that the senator would strip Our Lady of Aparecida of patron saint status if elected.

The electoral court on Wednesday ordered the takedown of "notoriously untrue" social media posts about Brazil's beloved Black Madonna.

Bolsonaro fiercely denied such plans as "fake news," but the issue struck a nerve in a country where the majority Catholic population, which reveres the saint, tends to back Lula.

A booming evangelical population is a key electoral base for the Bolsonaro clan.

Lula, on the cusp of 81, will face off against the son of ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro in a first-round vote on Sunday, with polls giving him a slight advantage.

The pair are neck-and-neck in projections for a potential runoff on October 25, however.

Some commentators framed the president's decision to skip the final debate as a bid to sidestep a pile-on from other, non-leftist participants.

But the program was canceled after Bolsonaro pulled out too, accusing the electoral court of censorship after it banned the show from leaving an empty seat on set to represent Lula.

Participants were also prohibited from directing their speaking time to the empty space to highlight the absent candidate.

Lula has campaigned on a pledge to protect Brazilian sovereignty against US interference, and President Donald Trump said Thursday he was watching the nail-biter vote "very closely."

"The people of Brazil are fantastic people. Very important election," the US leader told reporters.

Attorney General Jorge Messias on Thursday called for an investigation of allegations that the White House was using government funds to promote a "far-right agenda" in Brazil.

The request came after Britain's The Guardian newspaper published an article alleging that Washington planned to award $1 million to fund civil society groups opposing the Brazilian Supreme Court -- an institution hated