Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro officially launched his reelection campaign on Sunday.

Bolsonaro was nominated by the right-wing Liberal Party as its presidential candidate during an event in Rio de Janeiro in front of some 10,000 supporters. 

Surveys show leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva handily defeating Bolsonaro in the October 2 first-round vote.

Bolsonaro labels rival a 'communist'

In his speech, the president took aim at his main rival — known as Lula— accusing him of being a communist.

"We don't need another ideology that hasn't worked anywhere else in the world. We need to improve what we have," Bolsonaro told supporters. "Our life wasn't easy, but one thing that comforts me isn't seeing a communist sitting in that chair of mine."

Several supporters of the president told The Associated Press that if Bolsonaro doesn't win a second term, Brazil will follow the catastrophic lead of Venezuela.

Many spoke about how they don't trust polls that show Bolsonaro trailing, and fully expect him to win.

"It's good versus evil and we're in favor of the good," 52-year-old Alexandre Carlos said. "Bolsonaro is the only hope we have now to save the country."

Bolsonaro faces uphill battle

Ahead of Bolsonaro's campaign launch, the election had already become one of Latin America's bitterest political contests in years.

Bolsonaro is struggling to regain popularity with voters as the country continues to be hit with high inflation.

His image was further tarnished by the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, a report called for the president to face charges of crimes against humanity after more than 600,000 Brazilians were killed by the virus.

Brazil's response to the health crisis has been described as the world's worst after Bolsonaro spoke out against lockdowns, masks and vaccinations and even told the public to "stop whining."

Following in former US President Donald Trump's footsteps, the Brazilian leader has launched baseless attacks on the reliability of the nation's electronic voting system, casting doubt on whether he would accept defeat.

Bolsonaro's advisers have told him to focus on economic and social proposals, such as lowering fuel prices or increasing social assistance, and to abandon the controversies that helped him hit the headlines.

During his speech Sunday, the president promised that a cash welfare program that provides 600 reais ($109, €106) in monthly payments to low-income Brazilians will continue next year if he is re-elected.

'Lula' takes the lead

Some polls have Bolsonaro down almost 20 percentage points to Lula, a former president of the nation from 2003 through 2010.

Lula is credited with lifting millions out of poverty during a period of rapid commodity-driven growth thanks to aggressive social spending.

His star has fallen in recent years due to high-level corruption probes — 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.

The leftist Workers' Party (PT) officially nominated Lula on Thursday.

Left-of-center candidate Ciro Gomes, running in a distant third, was nominated by the Democratic Labor Party (PDT) on Wednesday.

In the coming weeks, the already tense battle between the top two candidates should heat up even further.

By next month, Lula and Bolsonaro will be allowed to engage in most forms of political advertising once all the candidates have been registered.

mm/wd (AFP, dpa, Lusa, Reuters)