Brazil Court Chief Admits Voter Bus Gaps
BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Published Sunday, 25 October, 2:35 p.m. ET · Source: Folha de S.Paulo, Jovem Pan, O Tempo
Key Facts
- What happened Kassio Nunes Marques, president of Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE), admitted on Sunday that voter transport is struggling in some places.
- Where Bahia, a north-eastern state, is the focus, with bus cuts reported in Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas.
- His words “In some places there is still a difficulty with transport, which is already being corrected.”
- Court order The Bahia regional electoral court set a fine of R$1 million (about US$200,000) per hour until the full bus fleet returns.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- Prediction markets Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 79% and Kalshi at 80% (Lula: 22% and 21%), as of 25 October, 3:20 pm ET; prices are bets, not polls.
- Still open Whether voting hours in Salvador will be extended; Nunes Marques did not answer.
Live tonight
Brazil’s runoff, live
The official TSE count for Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula, updated every 20 minutes from 5 p.m. Brasília (4 p.m. ET).
Brazil election 2026 · Brazil election polls · Who will win: Brazil election odds · Brazil runoff date and results start · Brazil election results · Brazil election poll data (CSV) · All election stories
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 78.5% · Lula 21.5% (US$199 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 80% · Lula 21%
As of 25 October, 3:20 pm ET (19:20 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
Brazil’s top electoral judge admitted on Sunday 25 October that some voters are struggling to reach polling stations during the Brazil election 2026. Kassio Nunes Marques, president of the electoral court (TSE), said the problem was “already being corrected”, Folha de S.Paulo, a leading Brazilian daily, reported at 2:35 p.m. ET.
The sharpest complaints come from Bahia, a north-eastern state where voters report missing buses. For readers in the US, the story matters because turnout in Bahia, a stronghold of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, could shape a result that moves Brazilian markets and Washington’s relations with Brasília; see the Brazil election odds for current prices.
What the Electoral Court President Said
Nunes Marques spoke to reporters at the TSE headquarters in Brasília on Sunday. He said transport programmes are run by the regional electoral courts (TREs) and are “going very well” in general, Folha reported.
Asked about Bahia, he said the TSE receives periodic reports from the state court and that “any and all action will be analysed in due time”. Asked by O Tempo about extending voting hours, he replied that the law decides who is competent to oversee voter transport.
He also pointed to “Seu Voto Importa” (Your Vote Matters), a TSE programme that offers free transport to people with disabilities, quilombola communities (descendants of escaped slaves), Indigenous people and riverside communities.
Bus Cuts in Salvador, Bahia
Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, the TSE’s inspector-general of electoral justice, ordered the Bahia court to report on alleged bus cuts in Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas. Jovem Pan, a Brazilian broadcaster, reported that a complaint from Lula’s Brasil da Esperança federation (his Workers’ Party and two smaller allies) alleged a reduction of more than 50% in bus supply in the capital, Salvador.
The president of the Bahia electoral court (TRE-BA), Judge Mauricio Kertzman Szporer, ordered the Federal Police, Brazil’s national law-enforcement agency, to arrest Salvador’s mobility secretary, Pablo Souza, Jovem Pan reported. He also ordered the full fleet back on the road, with a fine of R$1 million (about US$200,000, at 4.97 reais per dollar) per hour for non-compliance.
Reports differ on how many buses were held in garages: Jovem Pan counted 217 in two garages, while O Tempo, a newspaper from Minas Gerais state, reported about 375. Salvador City Hall said Souza is in Paris on an official mission and will present himself to police on Monday 26 October, Jovem Pan reported.
Lula Campaign Seeks More Voting Time
O Tempo reported that the Brasil da Esperança federation asked for voting to run until 7 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET) in the three affected cities. Polls normally close at 5 p.m. in Brasília time (4 p.m. ET), and our earlier report on the Lula campaign request has the background.
No ruling on that request had been published at the time of writing. Nunes Marques declined to say whether the TSE would extend voting hours.
What It Means for US Readers
A court-ordered fleet restoration shows Brazil’s institutions acting on election day, which supports confidence in the count. A disputed result or a challenge over turnout in Bahia would be a different matter, and investors in Brazilian stocks and the real would price that risk.
Follow our Brazil elections coverage page for official TSE results from 5 p.m. local time. Official numbers, not prediction-market prices, decide the winner.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether voting hours will be extended in Salvador, or whether the arrest order will be carried out. The number of voters who could not reach their polling station has not been published by the TSE.
Reports also differ on the number of buses held. We will update this report when the electoral courts publish figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Brazil’s electoral court president say about transport?
Kassio Nunes Marques said on Sunday 25 October that some places still have transport difficulties that are being corrected. He said the programme is going well overall.
Where are voters struggling to reach polling stations?
Reports centre on Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas in Bahia state. The TSE asked the Bahia electoral court for a report.
What did the Bahia electoral court order?
Its president ordered the full bus fleet back and set a fine of R$1 million (about US$200,000) per hour. He also ordered the arrest of Salvador’s mobility secretary, according to Jovem Pan.
Will voting hours in Salvador be extended?
Not decided as of 2:35 p.m. ET. Lula’s federation asked for voting until 7 p.m. local time, and Nunes Marques did not answer the question.
When do polls close in Brazil?
Polls close at 5 p.m. in Brasília time on Sunday 25 October, which is 4 p.m. ET. Results follow that evening.
Sources: Folha de S.Paulo, 25 October 2026; Jovem Pan, 25 October 2026; O Tempo, 25 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief