Justice Cristiano Zanin of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Sunday (Oct. 25) ordered a two-hour extension of runoff voting, until 7 p.m. Brasília time, at every polling station in the country. The ruling tasks the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) with carrying out the measure.

The order came in a complaint filed by the Brasil Pronto Pra Mais coalition of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers' Party, PT). The filing concerned Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas, in Bahia state, where the campaign said bus service was too thin to get voters to the polls, in breach of an STF precedent on election-day transit. Zanin, however, extended the measure to all of Brazil.

Earlier, both campaigns had asked the TSE to extend hours in specific cities. Lula's coalition cited transit failures in municipalities across ten states. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign (Liberal Party, PL) sought the measure in 17 municipalities in São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina because of rain, flooding and road closures, and asked that presidential results be withheld until voting ended there. TSE President Kassio Nunes Marques was still reviewing the requests when the STF ruling became known.

The ruling came after 5 p.m., when many stations had already closed and counting had started. The TSE released a first partial tally covering about 0.25% of polling stations and then stopped publishing new figures. As of this update, the court had not said when it would resume. Such early numbers do not indicate the final outcome.

What it means for businesses

The most immediate effect is timing. With voting running until 7 p.m. and results on hold, the name of Brazil's next president is likely to be known later than usual. Companies that planned communications, campaigns or decisions for Sunday night and Monday's market open should plan for a longer wait.

How the order is carried out, with some stations already closed and counting under way, is likely to draw challenges in the coming days. The episode also keeps attention on the rule requiring bus companies to run 100% of their fleets on election day, with possible consequences for concession holders and city governments.

7 p.m.New closing time for voting nationwide, Brasília time, under Justice Cristiano Zanin's (STF) ruling

What to watch next

  • An official TSE statement on how the extension applies to stations that had already closed
  • When the release of results resumes
  • How states in time zones other than Brasília's are handled
  • Campaign reactions and any appeals against the ruling

Sources

  1. Times Brasil — STF determina ao TSE prorrogar votação por duas horas em todo o Brasil
  2. Exame — Extensão do horário de votação do 2º turno para as 19h
  3. Bahia Notícias — TSE pausa divulgação de resultados com 0,25% das urnas
  4. Diário da Manhã — Zanin prorroga votação até as 19h em todo o país
  5. Gazeta do Povo — TSE avalia prorrogar horário de votação
  6. Tribuna do Norte — Flávio Bolsonaro pede ao TSE prorrogação em 17 cidades

By Luiz Felipe. Edited by Julia Jesus.

Article produced with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the Spark team.