Brazil Holds Second-Round Elections Amid Voting Hour Extension

Voters across Brazil headed to the polls on Sunday for the second round of the 2026 elections, participating in crucial runoffs for both state governorships and the presidency. The electoral process experienced a significant adjustment when Supreme Federal Court Minister Cristiano Zanin ordered an extension of voting hours until 7:00 PM local time for sections that had not yet closed. Consequently, the Superior Electoral Court temporarily halted vote tallying operations until the extended voting period concluded.

Regarding the presidential race between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, the Superior Electoral Court announced that updated projections and vote counts would resume following the closure of late-voting sections. Prior to the scheduling modification, court president Minister Kassio Nunes Marques had estimated that results might emerge between 8:30 PM and 9:00 PM, though officials indicated a revised window between 9:30 PM and 10:00 PM. Authorities noted that definitive outcomes depend heavily on the transmission speed of electoral data and the margins between candidates.

In state-level contests, several key gubernatorial outcomes were decided. In the Distrito Federal, Celina Leão of the Progressistas party secured reelection for another four-year term after defeating PT candidate Leandro Grass. The Electoral Court confirmed her victory with approximately ninety percent of the ballots counted, positioning Gustavo Rocha as her vice-governor. Leão's new mandate follows a platform focused on healthcare enhancements, expanded public transportation initiatives, and educational reforms.

Tocantins witnessed a notable electoral turnaround in the race for governor. Vicentinho Júnior of the PSDB party achieved victory with 64.09 percent of the valid votes, surpassing Professor Dorinha of the União Brasil party, who gathered 35.91 percent. Partial figures indicated that Vicentinho secured 487,034 votes compared to Dorinha's 272,942. This result marked a reversal from the first round, where Dorinha had initially finished in the lead by a narrow margin.

In the northern region, Mailza Assis of the Progressistas party maintained a strong lead in the race for the government of Acre. With a significant majority of the local ballots processed, Assis registered 66.20 percent of valid votes, totaling 223,162 ballots, while her opponent Alan Rick of the Republicans party followed with 33.80 percent.

Additional gubernatorial runoffs also took place in the states of Amazonas and Rio Grande do Norte, alongside Espírito Santo, where authorities continued processing returns late into the evening. In Amazonas, Omar Aziz of the PSD secured the gubernatorial victory against Professor Maria of the PL.

Citizens followed the ongoing updates and partial returns through the official digital platforms provided by electoral authorities, including web portals and mobile applications designed to track real-time tabulation as election boards processed remaining urns from across the country.