BRASILIA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Sunday ordered a two-hour extension of voting in the country's presidential runoff, with polling stations now set to close at 7 p.m. Brasilia time (2200 GMT), Brazilian media reported.
STF Justice Cristiano Zanin issued the ruling to address disruptions to voting caused by public transportation problems and heavy rains in several parts of the country.
Earlier on Sunday, the campaigns of incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party and his rival Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, separately requested extensions of voting hours from Brazil's STF.
Citing the seriousness and urgency of the reported problems, Zanin ordered the voting deadline to be extended from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Brasilia time at all polling stations nationwide, with the Superior Electoral Court responsible for implementing the decision.
Lula's campaign requested the extension after reporting that voters in at least nine states, including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Pernambuco, had encountered difficulties reaching polling stations due to reduced bus services and other public transportation problems.
Bolsonaro's campaign sought an extension in municipalities in Minas Gerais affected by power outages, including the state capital Belo Horizonte, as well as affected parts of Rio Grande do Sul.
