Brazil election count thrown into confusion after late court order extends voting

A Brazilian Supreme Court judge issued a last-minute ruling extending voting hours in the presidential run-off election, creating widespread uncertainty among local electoral workers.

The directive from Justice Cristiano Zanin arrived shortly after voting was scheduled to conclude at 5 p.m. Brasilia time on Sunday. The ruling mandated that voting sites remain open for an additional two hours, according to the South China Morning Post.

The sudden decision left election administrators across the nation uncertain about whether they should unlock polling venues that had already closed or proceed with transferring electronic voting machines for the official tally.

Justice Zanin, who previously served as an attorney for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva prior to his appointment to the high court in 2023, intervened following an urgent petition from Lula's re-election team. The campaign had lodged a formal complaint alleging severe public transit deficits and bus shortages in municipalities governed by political allies of his opponent, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

Roughly an hour following the initial decree, Zanin adjusted the scope of his mandate. The revised directive applied solely to polling locations where electronic voting systems had not yet been formally powered down and finalized.

The clarification resulted in an uneven situation across the country, permitting citizens at some voting centers to submit their ballots until 7 p.m., while electors at other locations were turned away because the machinery had already been closed down for counting.