UPDATE - Flavio Bolsonaro narrowly leads Brazil runoff with over 36% of votes counted

UPDATES WITH LATEST VOTE COUNT SHOWING FLAVIO BOLSONARO IN NARROW LEAD, COURT CLARIFICATION ON POLLING STATIONS, RESUMPTION OF COUNTING, ADDITIONAL DETAILS; CHANGES HEAD, DECK, LEDE

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Brazilian Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro held a narrow lead over incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday as vote counting continued following a court-ordered two-hour extension of voting in the country's closely contested presidential runoff.

With 36.77% of polling stations counted as of 8.14 pm Brasília time (2314 GMT), Bolsonaro had secured 50.32% of valid votes, or 22,801,808 ballots, against Lula's 49.68%, or 22,515,641 votes, according to figures from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).

The margin stood at 286,167 votes, with 183,585 of the country's 499,248 polling stations counted.

Voting concluded at 7 pm local time (2200 GMT), two hours after the originally scheduled closing time, following an emergency ruling by Federal Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin.

The extension came after separate petitions from the campaigns of Lula and Bolsonaro, citing severe public transportation disruptions in several cities and heavy rainfall in southern states.

The last-minute decision triggered confusion across several municipalities, as many polling stations had already closed at the original 5 pm deadline.

Zanin subsequently clarified that the extension applied only to polling stations that remained open, while those that had already closed would not reopen.

The TSE, which had briefly begun publishing preliminary results at 5 pm, suspended vote tabulation and the release of results while voting continued. Counting resumed after the extended deadline.

Earlier Sunday, both candidates cast their ballots in a closely contested election that polls had indicated was a statistical dead heat.

Lula's campaign initially petitioned electoral authorities to extend voting in major metropolitan areas, including Salvador, the capital of Bahia, and Sao Paulo, following reports that reduced public transportation services had prevented voters from reaching polling stations.

The campaign subsequently sought a nationwide extension, arguing that voters in several states had faced similar obstacles.

"What we want is an election done honestly and with everyone having their right to vote," Lula said in a public address, urging voters not to abandon polling lines.

"Wait, and vote, because democracy must win."

In Salvador, municipal officials reported that at least 75 public buses had been prevented from leaving garages.

Salvador City Hall alleged that union workers had placed stickers bearing the Workers' Party (PT) logo and candidate number 13 on public transportation vehicles, prompting operators to withdraw the buses to avoid violating electoral advertising regulations.

The Bahia Regional Electoral Court ordered the arrest of Salvador's Secretary of Mobility, Pablo Souza, over the reduction in bus services, which the court said could constitute an electoral offense.

The court also ordered the restoration of the city's full bus fleet to ensure voters could reach polling stations.

The arrest order had not been executed because Souza was in Paris on an official government mission. City officials said he was expected to return to Brazil on Monday and provide explanations to authorities.

Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL) separately requested that voting be extended until 7 pm in 17 municipalities across Sao Paulo, Parana and Santa Catarina, citing torrential rains, flooding, road closures and power outages that had prevented some voters from reaching polling stations.

Zanin's ruling initially provided for a nationwide extension, although its implementation was subsequently limited to polling stations that had not already closed.

Nearly 159 million registered voters were eligible to cast ballots in the runoff between Lula, 80, who is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive presidential term, and Bolsonaro, 45, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The runoff followed an Oct. 4 first round in which Bolsonaro finished ahead with 47.03% of valid votes, compared with Lula's 45.16%, but neither candidate secured the majority needed to win outright.

The election comes amid a broader shift toward conservative governments in parts of Latin America, giving the outcome implications beyond Brazil's borders.

Speaking to reporters Sunday, US President Donald Trump said Washington was monitoring the election but declined to endorse either candidate.

The result will determine who governs Latin America's largest country from 2027 to 2030.

Laura Gamba Fadul