Brazil’s Supreme Court voting extension faces legal challenge after Lula’s win

Brazil’s presidential election faces a legal challenge after a Supreme Court justice ordered a two-hour voting extension, prompting Senator Flavio Bolsonaro to seek annulment of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s victory. Justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting to 7 pm on October 25 due to reported public transport disruptions, acting on Lula’s campaign request. Brazil’s Electoral Code sets fixed 8 am to 5 pm hours, with no explicit provision for nationwide extensions, creating legal uncertainty over the order’s authority. Lula won by over 4.4 million votes, with 51.79 percent to Bolsonaro’s 48.21 percent. The extension, unprecedented since electronic voting began in 1994, does not automatically invalidate results, and courts must decide if irregularities justify overturning the outcome.