Lula vs. Flávio Bolsonaro: Brazil counts runoff votes after a last-minute extension of polling hours

Brazil is counting votes in Sunday’s presidential runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Counting started late after Brazil’s Supreme Court allowed some polling stations to stay open two extra hours.

No winner had been declared when this was published. Early numbers showed Lula slightly ahead, but only a small share of the vote had been counted, and the race could still change.

Brazil election results so far

The Guardian’s live tracker, based on official figures, showed this at 7:30 p.m. Brasília time (6:30 p.m. ET), with 5.7% of districts counted:

Earlier snapshots showed Lula with a bigger lead, at 57.66% with just 0.25% of ballots counted and 55.53% with 0.37% counted, Reuters reported. The gap narrowed as more votes came in. Because results from different regions arrive at different times, early numbers are not a reliable guide to the final outcome.

Why voting was extended

Reuters reported that Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin accepted a request from Lula’s campaign to extend voting. The campaign cited public transportation problems in three cities in the state of Bahia: Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign also asked for more time in parts of São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina, citing bad weather.

The ruling came right around the 5 p.m. Brasília time deadline. Zanin later said stations that had already closed would stay closed, while those still open could take voters until 7 p.m. The electoral court, known as the TSE, had already begun publishing results. It briefly paused the count and then resumed it.

Reuters said the timing caused confusion. Poll workers in several state capitals said their stations closed at the usual hour because they had received no official word of the extension.

Earlier Sunday, a court in Bahia ordered the arrest of a top transportation official in Salvador over allegations that he directed a cut in the city’s bus fleet, Reuters reported. Before the extension, Lula said “something abominable is happening” in the election.

Possible legal challenges

The Bolsonaro side questioned the ruling. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the candidate’s brother, said on a YouTube livestream that it “doesn’t inspire credibility,” according to Reuters. Two legal experts told Reuters that the extension and the transportation allegations could lead to legal challenges, depending on the result.

Lula vs. Bolsonaro: background on the race

Flávio Bolsonaro finished first in the first round on Oct. 4, the Guardian noted. Since Brazil returned to democracy in 1985, no first-round runner-up has come back to win the runoff. A candidate needs more than 50% of the valid votes to win.

Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing to Lula in 2022. He has endorsed his son. Lula, Brazil’s longest-serving president in its modern history, turns 81 on Tuesday. Flávio Bolsonaro is 45.

Reuters said a Bolsonaro win would continue a run of right-wing victories in Latin America by candidates friendly to President Donald Trump. A fourth term for Lula would be a check on Washington’s influence in the region. Asked on Sunday who he hoped would win, Trump said, “I don’t want to get into that, but we are watching.”

Quick FAQ

Who won the Brazil election? No winner had been declared when this was published. Lula had a narrow early lead with a small share of votes counted.

Who is Flávio Bolsonaro? He is a right-wing lawyer and politician from Rio de Janeiro and the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Reuters calls him a senator, while the Guardian calls him a former senator.

Why was there a delay? A Supreme Court justice extended voting by two hours at some polling stations after both campaigns reported problems. That briefly paused the official count.