Brazil holds runoff presidential election amid voting hour extension and rightward congressional shift

The outcome of the election and the newly right-leaning Congress could reshape Brazil's economy, human rights and environmental policies, and the future management of the Amazon rainforest.

• •The Supreme Court ordered a two-hour extension for voting nationwide, setting the closing time to 19:00 Brasília time due to bus frequency problems and heavy rains in the south.
• •Brazil's congressional elections resulted in a shift toward the right, with right- and center-leaning lawmakers positioned to hold a simple majority or potential supermajority in the 513-seat Lower House.
• •More than 33 million people (21% of the electorate) abstained from voting in the October 4 first round, marking the highest abstention rate since 1998 for a first round.
• •The runoff election features incumbent leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (age 80) and far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro (age 45).
• •Climatologists and ecologists warn that the election outcome could determine how quickly the Amazon rainforest reaches a critical ecological tipping point.
• •The last-minute extension of voting hours caused logistical confusion, with some polling stations and electronic urns already closed or shut down before receiving the extension order.
• •Supreme Court magistrate Cristiano Zanin issued the ruling to extend voting hours following reports of logistical disruptions.