Around two and a half months before the presidential elections in Brazil, former head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been officially nominated as a candidate by his party.
Lula was unanimously elected, the left-leaning Labor Party PT announced on Thursday (local time) after a meeting.
Former São Paulo state governor and former Lula rival Geraldo Alckmin is running for vice president.
Above all, he should convince middle-class voters and business representatives.
"We don't take anything away from anyone.
We just want the poor to have equal opportunities," Lula said at a campaign rally after his nomination in Recife.
Brazil has fallen far behind, the people are impoverished.
Lula promised minimum wage increases and strengthening workers' rights.
In recent polls, Lula is far ahead of incumbent right-wing populist President Jair Bolsonaro, who also wants to run again.
Bolsonaro is due to be nominated as his party's candidate for the October 2 election on Sunday.
Lula's sixth presidential race
Parties and alliances have until August 15 to register their candidates with the Supreme Electoral Court.
From August 16, the election campaign is officially allowed.
It would be the sixth presidential race for 76-year-old Lula.
He won twice and ruled Brazil from early 2003 to late 2010. Lula lifted millions of people out of poverty with far-reaching social programs.
Immediately after taking office, he launched the “Fome Zero” (“Zero Hunger”) program, which was regarded internationally as a model for fighting hunger.
In addition, there was the world's largest social program "Bolsa Família".