By Lisandra Paraguassu

BRASILIA, Reuters – On Thursday, former Brazilian President LuizInacio Lula Da Silva stated to his supporters that he aims for a coalition of seven center-left parties to challenge incumbent Jair Bolsonaro during this October’s elections.

Lula, an ex-union organizer, is leading the presidential race. He has used party congresses as a way to consolidate his coalition. This includes Thursday rallies at the Brazilian Socialist Party and Sustainability Network.

At a REDE-sponsored meeting, he said that “to those who haven’t yet joined us, our arms were open to welcome all who want to recover this country.”

Randolfe Rodrigues, Senator, pledged REDE support for Lula’s candidacy. However, Marina Silva, the party founder and former Lula environmental minister was not present. Silva resigned from Lula’s government, and she ran in the Workers Party (PT), three bruising presidential election.

Lula celebrated earlier today the U.N. rights commission’s findings that the graft case which had led to his imprisonment and prevented him from running for the presidency in 2018, was not subject to due process. The ruling was described by Lula as “extraordinarily soul cleansing.”

Recent opinion surveys show that Lula’s edge over Bolsonaro is waning, with Bolsonaro increasing his social program spending. However, simulations of a possible runoff show that the left-wing candidate still enjoys a double-digit edge over his opponent.

Sources close to Lula said that his strategy, five months before the election, is to gather maximum support to a second round against Bolsonaro.

Some parties may be attempting to nominate their candidates, but they could back Lula in the second round. This includes the Social Democratic Party or some parts of the Brazilian Democratic Movement.