Brazil's Federal Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin has ordered an urgent extension of voting hours across the entire country, moving the deadline to 7 pm Brasilia time. The ruling follows emergency petitions filed by both presidential candidates, incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and conservative Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who both cast their ballots earlier on Sunday morning amidst a race that polls suggest is a statistical tie.
President Lula had initially requested that the Superior Electoral Court and the Supreme Court extend voting in major metropolitan hubs, specifically citing Sao Paulo, which has over 9 million registered voters, and Salvador, the capital of Bahia, with nearly 2 million. During a public address, Lula urged his supporters to stay in line, stating, "What we want is an election done honestly and with everyone having their right to vote. Wait, and vote, because democracy must win."
The legal action from the left was prompted by significant transit disruptions in Salvador, where city authorities reported that at least 75 public buses were blocked from exiting their depots. Salvador City Hall claimed that union members had placed stickers featuring the Workers' Party logo and candidate number 13 on the vehicles, which they argued violated federal election advertising laws. While the Bahia Regional Electoral Court issued an arrest warrant for Salvador's Secretary of Mobility, Pablo Souza, in connection with the fleet reduction, the Federal Police were unable to carry it out because Souza is currently in Paris for an official trade mission.
Following Lula's petition, Flavio Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party submitted a separate motion requesting that polls remain open until 7 pm in 17 municipalities across Parana, Santa Catarina, and Sao Paulo, citing severe flooding and torrential rain that hindered voter access. Justice Zanin consolidated these competing requests, granting a nationwide extension to ensure consistent voting conditions across the country.
