MILITARY guards shot a left-wing parliamentary candidate at point-blank range yesterday as he was leafleting in the city of Curitiba.

Renato Almeida Freita of the Workers Party (PT) was wounded after being shot with rubber bullets by guards who demanded he leave the Sao Francisco district, where he was campaigning for next month’s parliamentary vote.

He explained that he was in the area distributing pamphlets lawfully as a candidate for the Brazilian parliament, but the guards opened fire at close range, causing injuries to his hand and back, before arresting Mr Freita and taking him into custody.

The young lawyer managed to film part of the incident, which was posted on social media. He received treatment at a local hospital where he also shot footage of his wounds.

“I was not doing anything, I was just campaigning,” he said.

Far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro said he would be “100 per cent recovered soon” after being stabbed at a political rally last week.

Doctors at Sao Paulo’s Albert Einstein Hospital reported that there has been a “clear” improvement in his condition.