Brazil's Band TV may move debate date to draw Lula

TV Band is contemplating a date change for the first presidential debate, hoping to persuade President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to attend. The broadcaster, which traditionally hosts this initial encounter, had set the debate for August 16, a Sunday that also marks the official start of the election campaign.

Lula's campaign has scheduled a significant political rally for the same day at the 1º de Maio stadium in São Bernardo do Campo. This venue holds symbolic importance, having hosted strikes during Lula's time as a metalworkers' leader in the late 1970s. The campaign intends to fill the stadium, making it a powerful symbolic act. The Workers' Party (PT) is using this event as a justification for Lula's potential absence.

In response to the scheduling conflict, Band announced that the debate would take place between August 16 and August 23, with the exact date yet to be determined. If the date is moved, it would remove the primary argument used by the president's team to justify his non-attendance. Earlier reports indicated internal division within Lula's campaign regarding his participation in this and other debates, as he is expected to be the main target for other candidates, most of whom are from the right.