FILE PHOTO: Jair Bolsonaro, far-right lawmaker and presidential candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), gestures at a polling station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil October 28, 2018. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is set to officially become a candidate for re-election at a party convention in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, as he seeks to claw back the commanding lead established by his main rival, former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The right-wing Liberal Party (PL) is expected to tap Bolsonaro as their nominee for the Oct. 2 vote before an audience of roughly 10,000 in Rio's Maracanazinho stadium, a move considered the official beginning of Bolsonaro's candidacy under Brazilian law.
In the coming weeks, the already-tense battle between the top two candidates should heat up even further. In mid-August, Lula and Bolsonaro will be freed up by authorities to engage in most forms of political advertising.
The launching of his candidacy comes as Bolsonaro struggles to gain traction with voters, as high inflation continues to batter his already-divisive image.
Some polls have the former army captain down almost 20 percentage points to Lula, who governed the nation from 2003 through 2010 and lifted millions out of poverty thanks to aggressive social spending during a period of rapid commodity-driven growth.
His star has fallen somewhat in recent years due to high-level corruption probes into his government - Lula himself spent over a year and a half in jail due to a graft conviction that was later overturned - but he remains a relatively popular figure among Brazilians.
Bolsonaro's government has increasingly resorted to social spending, including cash handouts to certain constituencies, in a bid to jumpstart his campaign. He has also intensified his baseless attacks on the nation's electronic voting system, casting doubt on whether he would accept a defeat.
At the convention, Bolsonaro is expected to focus on his government's achievements in ensuring religious and economic freedom, including his efforts to loosen gun ownership laws, according to campaign sources consulted by Reuters.
The leftist Workers' Party (PT) officially nominated Lula on Thursday, while left-of-center candidate Ciro Gomes, running in a distant third, was nominated by the Democratic Labor Party (PDT) on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
