Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro boycott Brazil TV debate before first round

Brazil's two main presidential candidates have both boycotted a televised debate ahead of the first round of voting on Sunday. President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, are the only candidates with a real chance of winning.

The election has become a contest between the left and the far right, with corruption, revenge and drug violence driving the agenda. At a rally on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, supporters hoped Lula's energy and passion would win him an unprecedented fourth term. His earlier social welfare policies transformed Brazil and lifted millions out of poverty. This time, however, economic growth has slowed, national debt is piling up, and he is tainted by past corruption scandals. He is also about to turn 81, which has raised questions about whether he is too old to lead.

Flavio Bolsonaro has the momentum, but he also carries baggage. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is in jail for an attempted coup, a violent episode that nearly derailed Brazilian democracy. Flavio is now the torchbearer for his father's extreme right politics and has also been accused of corruption. Central to his campaign is a pledge to crack down on the violent drug gangs expanding across the country.

Narco violence has become a defining issue. The epicentre is in Rio's sprawling favelas, where narcos fight police and ordinary people are caught in the middle. In the favela of Maré, the criminal group in charge is called TCP. Police searched the area for drugs and weapons, and the operation ended with three suspects shot dead and 83 kilos of drugs recovered. Rio's police force is already one of the world's most lethal, and it killed nearly 800 people last year. Local residents do not believe more violence is the answer, even as Bolsonaro's campaign promises a tougher crackdown.

The issue has drawn international attention. Donald Trump recently declared two of Brazil's biggest drug gangs terrorist organisations. According to Lula, this is an attempt by Trump to help his ally Bolsonaro win the election. Across the region, a string of pro-Trump leaders have won power in recent years. Brazil, with its vast territory and resources, is seen as the final and biggest piece of that geopolitical puzzle.

During the campaign, reporters gained access to a Rio favela and spoke to a local drug lord, identified only as Pedro. He said Brazil's problems are the fault of a corrupt political class. For him, the strength of the narcos reflects the weakness of the Brazilian state, whoever is in charge. In communities ravaged by poverty and drugs, many see religion rather than politics as a way out. Evangelicals make up nearly 30 per cent of the population and are growing. They voted en masse for Jair Bolsonaro and his brand of religious conservatism, and much of that support has now transferred to Flavio.

In an evangelical church, Pastor Sinio prays with recovering drug addicts and brings food to crack cocaine addicts. Brazil is the number one consumer of crack in the world and the second consumer of cocaine after the United States. That drug crisis feeds the violence and corruption. Pastor Sinio said it does not matter who wins the election if they do not deal with the problem. The election is seen as a crossroads for Brazil. Bolsonaro's opponents believe he is a threat to democracy, civil rights and the Amazon rainforest. His supporters see him as a champion of the traditional values they hold dear. Beneath the carnival atmosphere, both sides fear what the other might do with power.