Brazilian governor ends presidential bid

BRASILIA Dec 17 (Reuters) - The governor of Brazil's central Minas Gerais state said on Thursday he would no longer seek to become the presidential candidate for the opposition PSDB party in next October's election.

Aecio Neves' decision, announced at a news conference in Belo Horizonte, paves the way for Sao Paulo state Governor Jose Serra to clinch the PSDB candidacy and become the main opposition contender.

The move also ends the possibility of a split in the PSDB party, which could weaken its presidential bid.

Serra has a 20 percentage-point lead in opinion polls over Dilma Rousseff, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's chief of staff and his chosen candidate to run in the Oct. 3 poll.

(Writing by Raymond Colitt; Editing by Eric Beech)