DistantNews
Support us
🇧🇷 Brazil /Elections & Politics

São Paulo Debate: Haddad Accuses Rival Freitas of Cheating with Notes

From Folha de S.Paulo · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • São Paulo gubernatorial candidates Tarcísio de Freitas and Fernando Haddad clashed in their first debate, with Freitas using notes and Haddad accusing him of cheating.
  • The debate, held on TV Band, saw both candidates criticize the national governments of Lula and Bolsonaro.
  • Freitas defended his use of notes, stating the information was ingrained in his mind, while Haddad accused him of not liking to calculate.

The first debate between São Paulo gubernatorial candidates Tarcísio de Freitas and Fernando Haddad on Sunday saw a sharp exchange over the use of notes, with Haddad accusing Freitas of "cheating" and calling him a "concurseiro" (exam-taker).

Freitas, representing the Republicans, openly used notes on sulfite paper during the TV Band debate, while Haddad of the PT opted against them. After an initial calmer segment, Haddad directly confronted Freitas, stating, "You brought cheat sheets, and I didn't." Freitas retorted, pointing to his papers, "This here is in my head, it's my daily life."

You brought cheat sheets, and I didn't.

— Fernando HaddadDuring the first debate for the São Paulo governorship, accusing his opponent Tarcísio de Freitas of using notes.

The debate, the first between the two candidates for the São Paulo government, also featured nationalized political discourse. Both candidates directed criticism towards the current federal government under President Lula da Silva (PT) and the previous administration led by Jair Bolsonaro (PL). Freitas, in turn, accused Haddad of "not liking to do calculations."

This here is in my head, it's my daily life.

— Tarcísio de FreitasResponding to Haddad's accusation of using cheat sheets during the debate.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Folha de S.Paulo in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog