Lula packed Brazil’s Supreme Court with his own lawyer and justice minister and had them lock his rival up for 27 years. Back in 2023, after taking power, he named Cristiano Zanin and Flávio Dino to the court. In 2025 both voted to convict Jair Bolsonaro of a coup plot and hand him the sentence. That court had previously wiped Lula’s own corruption convictions in 2021 so he could run again. On election day, Zanin ordered the polls kept open another 2 hours, 3 minutes before they were supposed to close. Both sides had asked, but the call came from Lula’s former defense lawyer. Even after Bolsonaro was barred and jailed, Lula still trailed Flávio 45–47 in the first round and only scraped past him by under 4 points in the runoff. Flávio still refuses to concede. Lula called the win a defeat for denialism and lies. Two of the judges who put his rival away were the men he put on the court. Voters barely picked him. The court cleared the path.

Let’s make sure the entire world understands. In Brazil, judicial rulings in connection with federal elections are made by the court that has been in place for that very purpose, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). @LulaOficial requested to the TSE that the polls be extended by two more hours in the entire country, citing “transportation problems.” Who controls the transport system? Lula’s government surely more so than a senator running for president. Instead of waiting for a TSE ruling. @LulaOficial immediately asked Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) justice @Cristianozaninm to order the polls remain open WITHOUT any TSE ruling. Within minutes (did Zanin even read the filing?), the polls were ordered to remain open by Zanin. The STF has 11 justices. What did Zanin do before becoming an STF justice? Oh yes, he was Lula’s criminal defense lawyer in his corruption cases. If this blatant rigging of the elections will be used to announce that Lula won, is Lula seriously expecting anyone in the international community to recognize that as a free and fair election? He knows nobody will. Has the desperation reached a point that today is the day the mask fully comes off and Lula becomes the next Nicolas Maduro? For the sake of Brazil, I pray that is not the case.