Brazil resumes vote count after tense runoff between Lula and Bolsonaro's son

Brazil resumed vote counting Sunday after a chaotic last-minute extension of polling hours in a tight presidential runoff between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. The extension, ordered by a Supreme Court justice three minutes before polls closed, caused confusion and set the stage for possible legal challenges. The two-hour extension followed requests from both campaigns, citing bus shortages in Lula-friendly cities and heavy rains in Bolsonaro's southern stronghold. Lula's party said it is considering legal action over "interference in the electoral process," while Bolsonaro allies called the ruling an attempt to contest his likely win. The election will determine Brazil's direction on issues from U.S. relations to climate policy. Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, led Lula by over 2.2 million votes in the first round, though more than 33 million voters abstained. The race pits Lula's history of poverty-fighting policies against Bolsonaro's tough-on-crime platform, with third-party voters and abstentions likely decisive. Brazil holds rare mineral deposits second only to China's, adding geopolitical stakes.