Zanin Extends Brazil Voting to 6 p.m. ET
BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Published Sunday, 25 October, 4:40 p.m. ET · Source: Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Supreme Federal Court (STF), TSE results feed, Polymarket
Key Facts
- The country Brazil, Latin America’s largest country, is holding its presidential runoff today between President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
- What happened Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting to 6 p.m. ET (7 p.m. in Brasília), and the electoral court then paused its vote count.
- The count The TSE says the pause does not cancel any votes. No restart time has been announced.
- 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, a prediction market, gives Flávio Bolsonaro a 67.5% chance and Lula 32.5% (25 October, 4:34 p.m. ET). Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 65% and Kalshi at 66% (Lula: 35% and 34%), as of 25 October, 5:40 pm ET; prices are bets, not polls.
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Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the country’s top election authority, paused its national vote count at 4:20 p.m. ET (5:20 p.m. in Brasília) on Sunday. It did so after Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered polling stations to stay open until 6 p.m. ET in every state.
The order came during the Brazil election 2026 runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro. The pause delays the first national results that voters, markets and campaigns were waiting for after polls were due to close at 4 p.m. ET.
What Justice Zanin Ordered
Zanin, a justice of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), ordered the electoral courts to extend the operation of polling sections by two hours, closing at 7 p.m. in Brasília (6 p.m. ET). The ruling became public at 4:11 p.m. ET (5:11 p.m. in Brasília).
The request came from the coalition backing Lula, which cited reports of fewer buses and long travel times for voters in several regions. We have not seen the court filing itself.
Why the Vote Count Stopped
In a statement, the TSE said it was pausing the count because of Zanin’s decision. The TSE said the suspension “does not mean cancellation of votes registered in the ballot boxes.”
Before the pause, the TSE’s public data showed 0.25% of polling sections counted: 1,225 sections and 345,054 votes. In that tiny sample, Lula had 57.66% of valid votes (193,574) and Flávio Bolsonaro 42.34% (142,169), according to the TSE results feed.
A Question of Who Decides
Extension requests normally fall to the TSE, and that Zanin’s order came instead from the Supreme Court. Earlier today the TSE had been asked to extend voting in parts of Bahia state, where we reported on bus disputes in Salvador.
In São Paulo, a court order required the full bus fleet to run, while the campaign says only about 60% was operating. These are the campaign’s claims and we have not verified them.
What It Means for US Readers
A two-hour extension and a paused count push the first national numbers later into Sunday evening. Brazilian currency and stock markets are closed for the weekend, but US-listed Brazilian shares and the real can react when results arrive, and traders will watch how the court handles any challenge.
For readers following US ties with Latin America’s largest economy, the episode shows how closely an election day can be shaped by courts. Our guide to the Brazil runoff date explains how and when results are published.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, an online prediction market, traders give Flávio Bolsonaro a 67.5% chance of winning today’s runoff and Lula 32.5% (25 October, 4:34 p.m. ET). The “Brazil Presidential Election” market has seen about US$200.6 million in bets, and our Brazil election odds page tracks both Polymarket and Kalshi, a prediction market regulated in the US by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
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.
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 65.2% · Lula 34.5% (US$202 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 66% · Lula 34%
As of 25 October, 5:40 pm ET (21:40 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.
What Is Not Known
The TSE has not announced when counting resumes. We also do not know how many voters were kept from the polls, and no court has tested the bus claims.
We have not seen the court filings. We describe here only the request from the coalition backing Lula.
Official results will come only from the TSE.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Background: Brazil Runoff Polls: Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.
Background: Brazil Tax Reform 2026 Replaces Five Taxes With Two VATs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the TSE pause Brazil’s vote count?
Justice Cristiano Zanin extended voting until 6 p.m. ET (7 p.m. in Brasília), and the TSE paused its count because of that decision. It says no votes are cancelled.
When do polls close in Brazil’s runoff?
After Zanin’s order, polling stations stay open until 7 p.m. in Brasília, which is 6 p.m. ET, in all states. The original close was 4 p.m. ET.
Who asked for the extension?
The coalition backing Lula cited reduced bus services. We have not seen the court filings.
When will Brazil’s results be known?
The TSE has not said when counting resumes. Official results appear only on the TSE’s results site.
Who leads the prediction markets?
Polymarket gives Flávio Bolsonaro 67.5% and Lula 32.5% (25 October, 4:34 p.m. ET). These are bets, not polls.
Sources: Superior Electoral Court (TSE) statements, 25 October 2026; Supreme Federal Court (STF) ruling by Justice Cristiano Zanin, 25 October 2026; TSE results site; Polymarket price history.
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