On the eve of the second round of Brazil’s presidential election, every major research institute believed that Flávio Bolsonaro would win. Even Lula voters were pessimistic. Things began to change when the Workers’ Party (PT) asked the Superior Electoral Court to extend the voting time by two hours (that is, until 7 p.m.) in Salvador and nearby cities, arguing that Bolsonarist mayors had made it harder for residents to vote by reducing the number of buses. This is not an unusual accusation, and the higher courts are generally seen as favorable to Lula. (Even though the president of the electoral court happens to be a justice appointed by Bolsonaro, his decisions were disregarded by fellow members.) Notably, Salvador votes heavily for Lula.
But the transit difficulties were caused—at least in part—by the activity of Lula’s partisans themselves. Trade unionists glued PT stickers on buses while they were still in the garage; because such advertising would constitute a crime under Brazil’s election laws, city workers had to remove the stickers before the buses could start their routes. By 10:30 a.m., traffic was more or less back to normal.
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