Justice Zanin granted Lula’s campaign request after voter-access allegations
Brazil’s Supreme Court justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting in the country’s presidential runoff by two hours on Sunday, granting a request from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s campaign to keep polls open longer.
Polls were initially set to close at 5 p.m. Brasilia time. The extension allowed voting to continue until 7 p.m.
The Guardian reported that some polling stations may have already closed because the decision came so shortly after they were due to close.
Lula’s campaign alleged that authorities in several cities were restricting voter access to public transportation. The campaign asked for additional time for people affected by those restrictions to reach and use polling stations.
The Guardian reported that Zanin’s decision followed allegations of attempted voter suppression in at least 10 states. Public transportation appeared to have been severely limited in those states.
Some people suspected that the transportation limits were a deliberate ploy to stop Lula voters from reaching polling stations, the Guardian said.
Lula said he had never before complained about elections in which he had been involved, regardless of whether he had won or lost. He added: “But this time something abominable is happening.”
The Guardian’s live coverage said the ballot count resumed after the two-hour voting extension.