RIO DE JANEIRO, October 25. /TASS/. Voting in the runoff presidential election in Brazil has been extended for two more hours amid reports on serious logistics problems, the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) decided after voting officially finished at 5:00 p.m. local time (8:00 p.m. GMT).

Earlier, the campaign headquarters of the country’s incumbent president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, stated that voters in several cities were unable to reach polling places due to a lack of free public transportation. The situation was further exacerbated by weather conditions: heavy rains have been falling in southeastern Brazil since early morning, causing road flooding and traffic gridlock.

Voters are to choose between Lula da Silva and his rival, a right-wing opposition candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. According to the results of the first round of voting on October 4, Bolsonaro took the lead with 47.03% of the vote, while Lula da Silva was second with 45.16%. The margin between the candidates was less than two percentage points.

The winner will take office on January 1, 2027.