TV encounter for Brazil hopefuls

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The two remaining candidates for the Brazilian presidency have taken part in their first televised debate ahead of a run-off election on 29 October.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faced intense questioning about corruption from Geraldo Alckmin.

Mr Alckmin gained ground late in the campaign, after the president's party was accused of dirty tricks.

Lula narrowly missed out on winning outright in the first round, but polls suggest he is still the favourite.

Rattled

Under the bright lights of a television studio, this debate brought the candidates face to face for the first time. And the tone was fierce.

Mr Alckmin, a former governor of Sao Paulo, wanted to know the origins of $800,000 (£430,000) seized by the police when they arrested two men with links to Lula's Workers' Party.

It is alleged the cash was to have funded political dirty tricks.

President Lula spoke about his government's achievements"Look into the eyes of the Brazilian people," said Mr Alckmin, "and give them an answer. Where did that money come from?"

A somewhat rattled Lula had no answer, other than to say the police were investigating.

For the first half of the debate, the president remained on the defensive, but he grew in confidence when speaking about social policy.

During his administration, wages have risen and poverty has fallen - a message he rammed home to viewers.

"The concrete, objective fact is that Brazil has improved. People are eating more, people are building more, people are working more. People are living with more dignity and more respect in this country," he said.

There was no clear winner here but it was refreshing to see the two men head-to-head. In the first phase of campaigning the president chose not to appear on television with his rivals.

With three weeks until the election, Lula has a poll lead of seven percentage points.

It will be interesting to see whether this debate alters the picture.