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The right-wing candidate in the Brazilian presidential election, Jair Bolsonaro, must undergo a more significant operation after being stabbed at a campaign rally on Thursday.
His doctors said the 63-year-old man had remained in intensive care after a single attack.
He sustained a deep and potentially fatal wound to his intestines and lost 40% of his blood.
He will be confined to the hospital or his home for several weeks.
Health reversal
The news is a failure for Bolsonaro as on Sunday, the doctors had said that his condition had "improved significantly" and that he was spending more time out of bed.
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With the first round of the presidential election scheduled in less than a month, it is unlikely that Bolsonaro will be able to participate in campaign events.
Author's right of the image
AFP
Jair Bolsonaro has strong supporters but also a high rejection rate
A survey by BTG Factual / FSB suggests that Bolsonaro's chances of winning the first round have increased as a result of stabbing, with 30% of respondents saying they would vote for him, compared with 26%.
But a Datafolha survey has only increased from 22% to 24%, which is within the margin of error.
The same survey suggests that the rejection rate of the far-right politician rose from 39% to 43%.
Mr. Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) is a politician who divides some analysts from US President Donald Trump.
His homophobic and misogynistic remarks provoked the indignation of many Brazilians, but he enjoys the support of millions of evangelical Christians who extol his anti-abortion position.
The Datafolha survey suggests he would easily win the first round with an 11-point lead over his closest rival, leftist candidate Ciro Gomes.
However, according to a number of opinion polls, he seems ready to lose in case there is a second round, which happens when none of the candidates receives more than 50% of the votes.
Lula to bow?
Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was until recently in the lead with 39% of the polls, is expected to withdraw from the race on Tuesday.
Lula, who is serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption and money laundering, was barred by Brazil's highest electoral court from running.
His legal team is still appealing this decision, but sources close to his workers' party told Reuters that he would announce Tuesday that his running mate, Fernando Haddad, would replace him.
Haddad is lagging behind polls with just 4%, but his support climbed to 9% in Monday's Datafolha poll.
