Updated

Brazil's President Michel Temer is ending speculation that he might seek re-election despite dismal poll ratings. He's endorsing his finance minister for the presidency in October's election.

Temer's decision Tuesday to put his weight behind Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles came after months of weighing whether to run for re-election.

The decision was an acknowledgement that Temer's single-digit approval rating and mounting legal troubles made a competitive candidacy unlikely.

Temer was vice president when he came to power in 2016 after President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office for illegally managing the federal budget.

While overseeing a handful of reforms, including a rewriting of labor laws, Temer's government has suffered numerous scandals.