国际英语新闻:Brazilian presidential candidate Bolsonaro vows to privatize state businesses

SAO PAULO, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro said Sunday he would eliminate and privatize a large part of the public businesses and would reduce the number of ministers as part of his economic program if elected on Oct. 7.

"These are unnecessary expenses that must be taken care of by the people," Bolsonaro said.

The far-right Social Liberal Party (PSL) candidate, made the comments on his Twitter account from his hospital bed at Albert Einstein Hospital, where he has been recovering from a knife wound he suffered on Sept. 6 during a campaign rally in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

On Sunday, Bolsonaro met with his economic strategist Paulo Guedes, who earlier this week, announced that he intended to reimplement a tax on financial transactions and increase the taxes on the income of those who make the least.

According to polling firm Datafolha, Bolsonaro currently has support of 28 percent of voters.

His main rival is the Workers' Party (PT) candidate Fernando Haddad, who had been the running mate for popular ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva until Lula was barred from seeking re-election.

For his part, Haddad, who was making a campaign stop in the northeastern state of Bahia, said he wants to unite Brazil, and called on the other candidates to put an end to personal attacks in the homestretch of the elections.