Brazil’s presidential candidate Simona Tabet, who finished third in the first round, announced on Wednesday her support for former left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round, in which he faces far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

The Lebanese-born senator won 4.2 percent of the vote on Sunday as Lula (48.4 percent) and Bolsonaro (43.2 percent) seek to win over the five million voters who elected her before a runoff on Oct. 30.

At a press conference in São Paulo, Tabet, an anti-abortion Catholic whose support is a gateway for conservatives and women, attacked Lulu da Silva and Bolsonaro.

The center-right senator said there was no doubt which was worse and that “the flames of hatred and conflict” had engulfed Brazil over the past four years.

She criticized Bolsonaro for his “denial” of Covid, his pro-gun policies and the starvation of 30 million Brazilians.

“I stand by my criticism of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (…), but I will give him my vote because I recognize his commitment to democracy and the constitution, which I have not seen in the current president.”

This support came after members of her party, the Brazilian Democracy Movement, split into supporters of Bolsonaro and supporters of Lula, and she gave them freedom of choice.

Lula also received the support of former centre-right President Fernando Henrique Cardozo (1995-2002). Cardoso, who twice defeated Lula in presidential elections in 1994 and 1998, tweeted that he would vote for Lula’s “democracy story”.

He attached two photos of Lola to his tweet: one black and white, dated 1980, and one recent.

“Thank you for your vote and trust,” Lula replied.

Lula also enlisted the support of his centre-left rival Ciro Gomez on Tuesday, who finished fourth (three percent) on Sunday.

By contrast, Bolsonaro, whose far-right movement has made significant congressional gains, has won the endorsement of the governors of Brazil’s three largest states—São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro—as well as the backing of Sergio Moro, a powerful former judge known for his fight against corruption.

Bolsonaro added to the list Wednesday the support of the governors of the states of Brasilia, Paraná and Goiás.

The supporters of the outgoing president did well in the general elections that were held in parallel with the first round of the presidential elections, as many of them were elected members of Congress or governors, including former ministers in Bolsonaro’s governments.