The Brazilian President, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, and his Social Democracy party have stepped up his re-election campaign after the latest opinion polls showed him running neck and neck with the left-wing candidate, Luiz Inacio da Silva.

A BBC correspondent in Brazil says that a month ago, Mr Cardoso's re-election was a forgone conclusion.

But, with four months to go before the first round, the polls give him only a slim lead.

Our correspondent says Mr Cardoso is being accused of neglecting the social issues which he was elected to deal with, and failing to reduce unemployment.