Brazil elections: Voting extended after transport complaints

Keep reading for the latest updates from the second round of Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, October 25:

Brazil's Supreme Court has moved to extend voting time in the presidential election until 7 p.m. local time (2200 GMT), giving voters an additional two hours.

The decision comes amid complaints from Lula's team that public bus services had been hampered, blocking people from getting to polling stations.

At the same time, Bolsonaro's team complained of weather conditions in certain regions making it more difficult for people to get out and vote.

President Lula has requested an extension to poll opening hours after buses were taken out of circulation in Sao Paolo, the country's largest city, which he said prevented many people from voting.

"We are asking the Supreme Court to extend the electoral process so that those who were effectively barred from voting, due to the dirty tactics of mayors, can still cast their votes," Lula said, according to AFP.

Lula said 40% of buses in the city had been prevented from going into service, a claim that matched local media reports saying 75 buses had been blocked from leaving garages.

"I've never complained about anything in any election before. Whether I won or lost, I'd just accept it and get ready for the next one. But this time, something abominable is happening," he said.

"No one should give up on voting just because some scoundrel of a business owner or some crooked, criminal mayor tried to stop the people from casting their ballots."

Brazilians in Germany have voted overwhelmingly for Lula, according to figures posted by Brazilian Embassies across the country and seen by DW's Portuguese service.

The left-wing incumbent, Lula, won 79.09% of the ballots cast by the 20,923 voters across Germany. This marks an increase on the 71.9% he won in the first round.

Brazilian voters in Germany could vote at embassies in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich.

The German capital saw the greatest support for Lula, with 88.77% of the votes going his way. Frankfurt was the city with the greatest support for Bolsonaro, but on 29.03% he still trailed his opponent by some margin.

The turnout also increased in the second round in comparison to the first round when it stood at 19,322. However, for both rounds, only around half of the 41,552 eligible voters turned out to vote. Across the world, there are some 918,900 eligible voters for Sunday's election.

Although he hasn't endorsed either candidate, US President Donald Trump is close to the Bolsonaro family.

Not only did the senior Bolsonaro imitate Trump's rhetoric and policies, he also refused to concede defeat after losing to Lula in 2022, leading to his imprisonment for an attempted coup, provoking comparisons with Trump's own defeat to Joe Biden in 2020.

On the other side, Lula has presented himself as a defense against US interference.

The right "wants to govern with the American flag," Lula said after casting his ballot on Sunday.

A Bolsonaro win would mark a further move in Latin America toward pro-US far-right leaders, following in the footsteps of countries such as Colombia, Chile and Peru.

The president of Brazil's Superior Electoral Court, Kassio Nunes Marques, has said he expects the winner of Sunday's vote to be announced officially between 8.30 p.m. and 9 p.m. (2330 and 0000 GMT), according to A Folha de Sao Paolo.

Brazil uses an electronic voting system meaning that ballots can be tallied quicker than in elections where paper votes are counted by hand.

However, the gap between the winner and loser is expected to be small, with the two running head-to-head in pre-election polls.

The head of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, Edson Fachin, has called for the candidates to respect the result of Sunday's vote.

"It's important to remember that all authority and power comes from the people and, thus, it is fundamental that the choices that derive from the manifestation of popular sovereignty are respected," he said as he left his local polling station, according to A Folha de Sao Paulo.

"Brazil needs peace and calm to, from tomorrow, be able to confront the major challenges in many areas that demand the presence of the state."

Some observers have posited that Flavio Bolsonaro could refuse to accept a Lula victory, like his father before him, with the potential for violence to erupt.

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Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has urged voters to turn out "rain or shine" to change the country's direction, accusing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of leaving Brazilians fearful.

"Brazil will change. Brazil will win," said the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, arguing that conditions had worsened over the past four years.

The opposition candidate criticized Lula's record on security and the economy, saying voters should not persist with a "mistake."

Bolsonaro cast his ballot at a school in Rio de Janeiro's Vila Isabel neighborhood around 20 minutes after polls opened. Wearing a yellow shirt, he arrived in the rain with his wife, Fernanda, amid heavy security.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says voters are choosing between a candidate who defends Brazil's flag and one who prefers the US flag, referring to his right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro.

The right "wants to govern with the American flag," the leftist incumbent said after casting his ballot in Sao Bernardo do Campo, near Sao Paulo.

Lula, who is seeking a fourth, nonconsecutive term, also said Brazilians had taken to the streets to defend their gains.

"What I saw in this runoff was not about a political party or a trade union. People took to the streets to defend their gains," he told reporters.

He also warned about political violence, citing a brick thrown at a supporter of his leftist Workers' Party (PT) in Montes Claros. "It shows what is at stake," he said.

Thank you for joining us today as we bring you the latest from the final round of Brazil's presidential election.

Polls opened at 8 a.m. this morning (1100 GMT) and are set to close at 5 p.m. (2000 GMT), based on time in the capital Brasilia. The first results are expected 30-60 minutes after polls close.

President Lula, 80, is hoping to turn around his defeat in the first round to Flavio Bolsonaro, 45, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro who is currently imprisoned for trying to overturn the previous election.

Flavio has said he would free his father if he wins and give him a role in his cabinet.