Rob Ford withdraws

Ford had stubbornly pursued his campaign despite well-documented scandals, including drug and alcohol addiction and verbal abuse of female employees, which resulted in calls for his resignation.

The mayor was admitted to hospital on Wednesday for treatment on a tumor in his abdomen, which will likely require surgery.

"My heart is heavy when I tell you that I'm unable to continue my campaign for re-election as your mayor," Ford said in a statement on Friday (12.09.2014). "I have asked Doug to run to become the next mayor of Toronto, because we need him. We cannot go backwards."

The decision changes the complexion of the October 27 election, which had widely been regarded as a referendum on the mayor's checkered record. Recent polls had him in second place in a tight three-way race.

But the hedonistic mayor's political career may not be over just yet. He has opted to seek a city council seat representing a district in his home suburb of Etobicoke, where his brash style and conservative fiscal policies first gained a following.

Brother in a crisis

Doug Ford, currently a city councilor, submitted his papers to run for mayor just minutes before the deadline on Friday.

"I stand here with mixed emotions and a very heavy heart. First and foremost I am concerned about my brother," said Doug Ford, surrounded by relatives outside the family home as he announced he is entering the race.

Doug Ford at 49, four years older than Rob, has himself has been the subject of drug allegations. The Globe and Mail newspaper reported last year that he sold hashish for several years in the 1980s. He denies the allegations.

He was also Rob Ford's campaign manager, and is regarded as less charismatic but less volatile as his sibling.

Toronto is Canada's financial capital and largest city, with a population of six million.

bk/jm (Reuters, AP)