Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro "lost 40% of his blood stabbing"

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's spokesman lost 40 percent of his blood after being stabbed Thursday, hospital officials said.

The far right politician was attacked at a campaign rally in Minas Gerais.

Doctors say that he suffered a deep and potentially fatal injury to the intestines but is now recovering well.

The controversial politician won supporters for his harsh stance on crime, but he outraged many people in Brazil with racist and homophobic remarks.

Polls suggest that he will get the highest number of votes in the first round of the presidential election in October if former president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva remains stuck, but that 's not going to be a big deal. he is unlikely to win a second round.

Lula, left, was the long-time favorite, but he is currently in prison, appealing for the ban on his candidacy that was imposed after his conviction for corruption.

• "Brazil's Trump" enters the presidential race
• The unlikely conservative youth of Brazil

What is the latest news about Mr. Bolsonaro?

The hospital director, Eunice Dantas, told reporters Friday that Bolsonaro had lost more than two liters of blood and was in shock when he arrived.

He is now stable and "in excellent clinical condition" after being operated on, she added, although he will have to spend at least a week in the hospital.

Mr Bolsonaro 's family said the knife had penetrated his abdomen over 12 cm (4.7 inches), according to the Reuters news agency.

He has now been transferred to a hospital in Sao Paulo.

In a video broadcast on social media on Friday, Mr Bolsonaro spoke from his hospital bed, saying he was suffering "in an intolerable way" and that he "n". had "never hurt anyone".

His son Flavio also tweeted a picture of his father making the thumbs-up gesture from his hospital bed.

Police arrested a suspect, Adelio Obispo de Oliveira, 40, and said they were investigating his mental health.

He was abused and beaten by angry Mr. Bolsonaro's supporters before being detained.

What was the reaction?

The electoral rivals of Mr. Bolsonaro have all condemned the stabbing. Fernando Haddad, who is expected to replace Lula on the Workers Party ticket, said the attack was "absurd and regrettable".

Speaking in the capital, Brasilia, President Michel Temer said that such an attack was "intolerable" in a democratic state and that he hoped that Mr. Bolsonaro would recover soon.

Some observers believe that the attack could improve Bolsonaro's chances in next month's elections.

The correspondents described the attack as a dramatic turning point in one of Brazil's most uncertain presidential elections for decades.

Why is Mr. Bolsonaro so polarizing?

The 63-year-old, who represents the Social Liberal Party (PSL), is followed by millions of Brazilians on social networks, and many call it "the trump card of Brazil".

He also supports the easing of gun control laws and is supported by millions of evangelical Christians for his uncompromising anti-abortion stance.

However, some of Bolsonaro's comments provoked an uproar, including the equivalence of homosexuality and pedophilia, and the claim that a congressman was too ugly to be raped.

He is currently under investigation for alleged racism about derogatory remarks he's made about Afro-Brazilians.

Who will be the next president of Brazil?

President Temer, an unpopular leader, does not stand for re-election and millions of voters remain undecided.

Mr Bolsonaro is expected to have a decisive first round, but lose the second round to leftist Ciro Gomes, environmental defender, Marina Silva, or former governor of Sao Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, according to the law firm. Ibope studies.

A race against Lula's likely replacement, Fernando Haddad, could be much closer. Ibope indicated that his most recent investigation showed that Mr. Bolsonaro had lost him one percentage point.

Mr. Haddad was charged with corruption earlier this week and, like Lula, denies any wrongdoing.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected Lula's latest appeal. The Workers Party has until the end of Tuesday to register Mr Haddad as a candidate for the presidency.