Brazil extends voting in close Lula-Bolsonaro presidential runoff

Brazil extended voting by two hours Sunday in a closely contested presidential runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, after problems with bus service and heavy rain prompted requests for more time to cast ballots.

Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered the nationwide extension shortly after polls had been scheduled to close. The nearly 160 million eligible voters now have until 7 p.m. local time to vote, with results expected in the following hours, Al Jazeera reported. CBS News reported that both campaigns had sought extensions in some cities: Lula’s cited transportation problems in nine states, while Bolsonaro’s pointed to heavy rain in the south.

The candidates need more than 50% of the vote to win. Bolsonaro led Lula by more than 2.2 million votes in the first round earlier this month, but more than 33 million eligible voters did not turn out, according to CBS News. Polls ahead of the runoff showed a neck-and-neck race.

The vote pits Lula, a left-of-center incumbent who also governed from 2003 to 2010, against a Trump ally and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula narrowly defeated the elder Bolsonaro four years ago. This campaign has turned on concerns about crime and the cost of living, as well as sharp differences over social welfare, climate change and relations with the United States.

Bolsonaro has promised a tougher approach to crime and lower food costs. Voting in Rio de Janeiro, he said, “The time of real change has arrived. Brazil can’t go on for another four years on its current trajectory.” Lula has backed debt relief for small businesses and promised free public transportation on weekends. Casting his ballot in São Bernardo do Campo, where he began his political career as a union leader, Lula thanked supporters for their “generosity,” “care” and “love.”

The campaigns have also faced corruption questions. CBS News reported that Bolsonaro is under investigation for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion after acknowledging that he accepted about $12 million from former banker Daniel Vorcaro to produce a film about his father. Lula spent more than a year in prison on corruption convictions that were later annulled.

Lula has portrayed Bolsonaro as a threat to democracy, pointing to the elder Bolsonaro’s attempt to stage a coup. The former president is under house arrest, and his son has promised to seek an amnesty for him if elected.

Voting-day transportation problems drew particular attention in Bahia, a Lula stronghold. At least 75 buses were prevented from leaving municipal garages, according to a state electoral judge cited by CBS News. The judge ordered the arrest of Salvador’s mobility secretary in connection with the case. The city’s mayor, a Bolsonaro ally, blamed trade unionists for illegally placing Workers’ Party materials on transit vehicles. Electoral authorities said they were examining a report on the bus problems. International observers said earlier that voting was peaceful and transparent.

“We will not be robbed by mayors, governors or businessmen,” Lula said. “These people need to respect democracy.”