Brazil’s Supreme Court extends runoff voting by two hours

Brazilians have two extra hours to vote in Sunday's presidential runoff. Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered polling stations nationwide to stay open until 7 p.m. Brasília time after complaints that bus service problems were keeping voters from reaching the polls. Bloomberg reported that Zanin issued the order shortly after 5 p.m., minutes after polls were supposed to close. The race between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro is expected to be very close.apnews.com

The court order

Zanin ruled on a complaint filed by Lula's coalition, Brasil Pronto Pra Mais. It argued that public transport fleets in Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas, in Bahia state, were too small to get voters to their polling stations. The coalition said this broke an earlier Supreme Court precedent requiring free election-day transport, according to O Tempo. The complaint covered only three cities, but Zanin applied the extension to the whole country and told the Superior Electoral Court to carry it out. He cited "the gravity of the facts reported" and "the evident urgency of the measure," CBN reported.cbn.globo.com+1

A state electoral judge said at least 75 public buses in Bahia, a Lula stronghold, were kept from leaving municipal garages. The judge ordered the arrest of Pablo Souza, the mobility secretary of the state capital, Salvador, the Associated Press reported. "We will not be robbed by mayors, governors or businessmen," Lula told reporters. He described what was happening as "abominable," according to DW's live coverage.apnews.com+1

Bolsonaro's campaign had also asked for more time, but only in some areas. It petitioned the electoral court for extensions in parts of Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, where heavy rain caused flooding and power outages, G1 reported.g1.globo.com

A tight race and quick count

Polls showed the two candidates neck and neck. Bolsonaro, the son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro, finished more than 2.2 million votes ahead of Lula in the first round. More than 33 million of the nearly 160 million eligible voters did not vote in that round, AP noted. Brazil uses electronic voting machines, so results usually come out within hours of polls closing. Before the extension, Superior Electoral Court President Kassio Nunes Marques had said he expected the official winner to be announced between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., DW reported.dw.com+1

Stakes beyond Brazil

The outcome could decide whether Brazil moves closer to the Trump administration. A Bolsonaro win would continue a shift to the right across Latin America, following victories by Trump allies in Chile, Peru and Colombia. Supreme Federal Court President Edson Fachin urged both sides to accept the result. "Brazil needs peace and calm to, from tomorrow, be able to confront the major challenges," he said.apnews.com+1