Overview
- PT's coalition first asked the Electoral Court to extend voting for transport problems and then took the petition to the Supreme Court when the TSE did not act, prompting Minister Cristiano Zanin to issue a nationwide order late Sunday to keep polling open until 19:00.
- Zanin issued a follow-up note that limited the extension to polling sections that were still open at the time of his decision, a move made after many regional courts and polling stations had already closed for the day.
- Election officials reported immediate operational chaos because most electronic voting machines that had been shut down cannot be reopened, which forced some places to use paper records and delayed the TSE's publication of partial results.
- Political reactions split sharply: allies of Flávio Bolsonaro denounced the order as interference and threatened legal and parliamentary reprisals while supporters of President Lula faulted TSE president Kassio Nunes Marques for a slow response.
- Legal analysts and international outlets warned the episode increases the likelihood of rapid litigation over validity and procedure, noting Brazil's electoral code can void votes cast outside designated hours and that any successful challenge will require proof of concrete voter harm.