President Lula’s campaign to ask for voting extension — The Rio Times

The campaign team of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it would ask the country’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) to extend voting hours in the presidential election. It cited reports of reduced bus services in São Paulo and Salvador, which may have prevented some voters from reaching polling stations in time.

As The Rio Times reports, the coordinator of Lula’s legal team, Marco Aurélio de Carvalho, said voters in both cities faced long waits for transportation. According to him, some passengers waited more than an hour for a bus.

Appeal to the electoral court

A federation of parties supporting Lula had previously filed a separate request to extend voting until 7:00 p.m. Brasília time in Salvador, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas. At the time of publication, the Superior Electoral Court had not yet made a decision on the request.

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The usual voting end time in Brazil is 5:00 p.m. Brasília time. Lula’s campaign expected an urgent session of the full court to consider the possibility of extending the opening hours of polling stations.

Dispute over buses

Lula’s campaign said that about 60% of buses operated on routes in São Paulo, despite a court requirement to ensure full transport service. City authorities, meanwhile, said they had instructed carriers the day before to operate on a weekday schedule with a reserve of at least 10% of vehicles.

In Salvador, according to the publication, at least 75 buses did not leave their depots. The city’s mobility department explained the stoppage by a dispute over stickers on buses bearing the number 13 — Lula’s electoral number. The Regional Electoral Court of Bahia ordered the immediate restoration of full bus services, setting a fine of 1 million reais for every hour of non-compliance with the ruling.