Former Sao Paulo governor Alckmin joins leftist party to be Lula's running mate

Sao Paulo's former governor Geraldo Alckmin looks on during a news conference after his Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) membership ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, March 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Former Sao Paulo governor Geraldo Alckmin joined the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) on Wednesday, taking the first step in officializing a once-unimaginable union with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as the leftist's running mate in the October election.

Alckmin, a center-right political veteran who unsuccessfully ran against current far-right President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018, is expected to lure pro-business centrists to former president Lula's ticket.