Lula Regains Lead in Brazil Runoff as Zanin Orders Voting Extension
The two-hour pause in the count follows a last-minute ruling on transportation issues in Bahia, with 50% of votes tallied in Lula's favor.
By Ivan Mori ·
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva moved ahead of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the Brazilian presidential runoff on Sunday, with approximately half of the votes counted. The shift occurred at 8:30 p.m. in Brasília, as ballots from the northeastern states began to arrive in large numbers. These areas are traditionally strongholds for Lula and his left-leaning coalition.
The timeline of the election was altered by a ruling from Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin. At the 5:00 p.m. official closing time, Zanin granted a request to extend voting hours. The Lula campaign cited public transportation problems in three cities within the state of Bahia. The decision created confusion at polling stations, some of which had already shut down when the order was issued.
Zanin issued a follow-up ruling to manage the disruption. He specified that stations which had already closed would remain closed so officials could begin tallying their votes. Stations that remained open after the initial cutoff were allowed to accept voters for two additional hours. The Superior Electoral Court, known as the TSE, paused the nationwide count for two hours to accommodate this change.
Pollster Andrei Roman, CEO of AtlasIntel, told Reuters that higher-than-expected turnout appeared to benefit Lula. Roman stated that Lula would be re-elected. While the federal electoral court had not yet declared a winner, Lula’s allies began claiming victory on social media platforms.
The dispute over the extension has raised legal questions. Vera Chemim, a constitutional lawyer in São Paulo, noted that the longer voting hours and transportation allegations could prompt legal challenges. She suggested the losing side might contest the outcome by arguing that some voters were unable to cast ballots even with the extended deadline.
Senator Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flávio’s brother, questioned the jurisdiction of the ruling on a YouTube live stream. He asked why the Supreme Court intervened in a matter overseen by the electoral court, stating that the move did not inspire credibility. Flávio Bolsonaro had also sought an extension in at least three states, citing bad weather conditions.
The runoff follows a contentious 2022 election where Jair Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat. His supporters later stormed government buildings, and he received a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup. Lula’s allies view this race as an opportunity to halt the conservative drift in Latin America. President Donald Trump has not endorsed a candidate, telling reporters in Washington that the US is watching the situation.
