Brazil: Lula Skips out on Smear Show
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's rivals strayed from real issues and attacked him personally in a Friday TV debate, which he chose not to attend.

Candidates Heloisa Helena, Socialism and Freedom, and Cristovam Buarque, Labor Democratic, ganged up on Lula and reminded of their breaking-off with his Workers Party, of which they were members.

While Helena focused on calling Lula a thief, corrupt, traitor and coward and questioning his absence on the program, Buarque demanded voters to take the election to a runoff, the opposition s aim.

For his part, besides querying the statesman absence, Geraldo Alckmin, from the Brazilian Social Democrat Party, presented some neoliberal promises, among them reducing social spending.

Two days before the October 1 general elections, Datafolha pollster shows Lula still ahead with a 49-percent support while Alckmin has 33, Helena 8 and Buarque 2.