Brazil's President Announces Bid for Re-election
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday formally announced his bid for re-election in October's presidential race, vowing to continue the fight against poverty in the largest South American country.

Echoing the theme of his campaign four years ago, Lula said, "I'm here to tell you that I have accepted, once again, the call to continue the struggle to build a Brazil that is more fair and independent, where every Brazilian can eat three times a day, have a job, education and health care."

"We haven't done everything we wanted to do, but we've done a lot more than some people thought was possible," he added.

At the national convention of his Workers Party (PT), Lula also announced that Jose Alencar, Brazil's current vice-president, would be his running mate again.

The incumbent president had evaded questions about his possible candidacy in recent months, saying the people were going to choose if he should run or not.

Opinion polls have shown that Lula is much more popular than his rival Geraldo Alckmin, former governor of Sao Paulo, the country's richest state.

A survey made by the Brazilian Institute of Public Opinion and Statistics (IBOPE) earlier this month found that Lula garnered some 48 percent of voter preference, compared with 18 percent for Alckmin.

The poll suggested that Lula is very close to victory in the first round of the election slated for Oct. 1. According to the law, if no candidate gets 50 percent, the top two go to a runoff on Oct. 29.

Lula's popularity has rebounded from lows last year caused by a corruption scandal, in which senior PT officials were accused of bribing allied legislators to back government bills in Congress.

Lula's longtime friend and Chief of Staff, Jose Dirceu, was forced to resign. Finance Minister Antonio Palocci also stepped down. But the president managed to isolate himself from the corruption allegations against his party, saying he knew nothing of the deal.

The president's popularity has improved on the strength of a growing economy and the program "Bolsa Familia" which gives poor households monthly stipends to support their life and children.

IBOPE officials said the president's popularity is higher among the poor and the lower-class, who are positively influenced by his conservative fiscal policy.