A Brazilian opposition presidential candidate who appeared on a TV debate with the word for "corrupt" written on his palm to attack his rival is facing intense ridicule as the stunt has backfired on him.

According to the UK daily Guardian on the 20th (local time), far-right opposition presidential candidate Senator Flávio Bolsonaro flashed his palm with the Portuguese word "corrupto" (corrupt) written on it during a presidential debate aired on the 18th.

While the performance was aimed at incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has been linked to corruption scandals, social media was flooded with memes mocking Bolsonaro's action immediately after the broadcast.

Viewers reacted sarcastically, questioning whether the message Bolsonaro wrote himself on his palm was actually an admission of his own guilt.

Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro—who is currently under house arrest after being convicted of charges including plotting a coup—has long faced corruption allegations though he has never been convicted.


Opponents of Bolsonaro have successively posted photos on social media showing themselves with self-descriptive phrases written on their palms.

Comedian Antonio Tabet introduced himself as an artist to his 2.8 million followers in a photo posted on X (formerly Twitter), while Carla Emanuela Sacramento, a nurse, posted a photo wearing protective gear with "primary care nurse" written on her palm.

President Lula also counterattacked, stating that if Bolsonaro takes the same measure, he would allow election authorities to view his bank transaction history and call logs.

Latin American political experts evaluated it as "what might have seemed like a clever strategy, but a fatal mistake that will follow his political career for a long time."

Candidate Bolsonaro secured a surprise victory by a margin of over 2 million votes in the first round of the Brazilian presidential election held on the 4th, and having failed to secure a majority, is scheduled to face President Lula in a runoff vote on the 25th.

(Photo: X, Yonhap News)