SAO PAULO, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday he supports lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility in Brazil to 16 from 18 years for heinous crimes in an interview with TV Globo's Jornal Nacional, the country's main newscast.
• Lula will face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in an election runoff on Oct. 25, after the senator surprisingly led him in the first round
• Opposition lawmakers have proposed including a reduction in the minimum age of criminal responsibility in a government-backed bill aimed at strengthening the powers of the federal government in public safety
• The bill was set to be voted on Thursday in the Senate, but the vote was postponed amid the debate over whether to include changes in the criminal responsibility age
• Lula said that reducing the age of criminal responsibility should not be discussed in that bill, arguing that the proposal before Congress focuses on a different issue
• Opposition lawmakers, including Bolsonaro, supported lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 16 years in general, and to 14 for violent crimes
(Reporting by Andre Romani in Sao Paulo; Editing by Fernando Cardoso)
