?Fernando Haddad (L), ex-mayor of Sao Paulo and former minister of education, gestures with Manuela D'Avila, former deputy of the Communist Party of Brazil, during a ceremony to unveil his candidacy to Brazil's Presidency in Curitiba, Brazil, on Sept. 11, 2018. Brazil's left-leaning Workers' Party (PT) on Tuesday officially substituted its initial presidential candidate, ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with a more viable alternative. Lula's running mate, Fernando Haddad, was unanimously elected to replace him, the PT's leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Jose Guimaraes, confirmed. (Xinhua/Giuliano Gomes/PR PRESS/AGENCIA ESTADO)
BRASILIA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's left-leaning Workers' Party (PT) on Tuesday officially substituted its initial presidential candidate, ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, with a more viable alternative.
Lula's running mate, Fernando Haddad, was unanimously elected to replace him, the PT's leader in the Chamber of Deputies, Jose Guimaraes, confirmed.
The decision was made due to Tuesday's deadline to register a replacement candidate.
The PT was holding out until the last minute, hoping for a breakthrough that would allow Lula to run despite his conviction for corruption, which disqualified him from the race.
It wasn't until Lula wrote a letter to party leaders endorsing Haddad as his replacement that the PT's national leadership moved to substitute him.
Lula enjoys widespread support among nearly 40 percent of the electorate, and it remains to be seen whether those followers will automatically take to Haddad.
The PT was set to unveil Haddad as its new candidate at a ceremony later in the day outside the federal police holding facility in Curitiba, capital of southern Parana state, where Lula is serving a 12-year jail sentence.
Haddad, ex-mayor of Sao Paulo and former minister of education, joins a field of 12 other presidential hopefuls.
According to experts, Haddad needs to garner at least 20 percent of the votes in the first round of elections to make it to the runoff.
