Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) and Jair Bolsonaro face off in a presidential debate (Picture: AP)

Brazil’s right-wing leader and his leftist challenger clashed in their first one-on-one debate as voters prepare to choose a president.

Jair Bolsonaro has garnered criticism for his handling of the pandemic, which left 680,000 Brazilians dead, and for the Amazon rainforest shrinking under his watch. And he is seen as trailing behind former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – who was jailed for corruption before his convictions were quashed.

In the 90-minute debate, the two men repeatedly called each other liars.

‘You lie every day,’ said Mr da Silva, president from 2003 to 2010, in one exchange.

And Mr Bolsonaro frequently said: ‘You can’t come here to tell people these lies.’

Earlier this month, Mr da Silva, known as Lula, won the election’s first round with 48 per cent of the vote compared with Mr Bolsonaro’s 43 per cent but his lead is thought to have shrunk.

A run-off vote will take place on October 30.

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‘You lie every day.’