Analysts believe this decision could boost the re-election bid of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who currently leads in most polls released to date.

Barbosa conveyed his decision to the national leadership of the Christian Democracy (DC) party—the organization he joined earlier this year with the aim of vying for the Planalto Palace—according to the news portal *Brasil 247*.

Press reports point out that the former justice concluded there were not enough political, financial, and structural conditions to sustain a competitive campaign, citing the party’s difficulties in forming alliances and securing funding.

*Brasil 247* also noted that the former justice’s withdrawal reduces the fragmentation of the opposition vote and alters the balance shown in the latest poll by the consultancy firm Quaest.

That survey gave Lula 40 percent of voting intentions, while his combined adversaries held 41 percent, with Barbosa polling at one percent.

With his exit from the race, the opposition bloc would lose that single percentage point, resulting in a statistical tie; according to analysts, this narrows the margin for a runoff election and increases the likelihood of the president winning in the first round.

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