00:00Now go to Rio de Janeiro with our special envoy Belen de los Santos who has more information on this
00:05electoral day in the final stretch of it.
00:08Welcome Belen to From the South.
00:13Hello Luis, I'm joining you from Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro, right besides one of the schools where voting continues.
00:19I will step outside just a minute so that you can see a little bit of what is happening.
00:23The coming and going of people is a little bit lower right now, but still people are coming.
00:29One hour and a half to go before the election centers close.
00:33Remember that the election centers are closing at 5 p.m. local time across the country.
00:39Even the zones where the time zones are different within the country, they have adjusted the voting times so that
00:47the closing is the same in every state.
00:50However, we need to keep in mind, I know Luis, that you were just talking to Brian in Sao Paulo
00:55and the situation with the transportation and also the Workers' Party has asked for an extension in the affected area.
01:04So we'll need to see if the electoral authorities will authorize an extension of voting times.
01:10So definitely that is something to keep an eye on here in Rio de Janeiro, wherever we have been.
01:16We have been in Botafogo.
01:17We have been here as well.
01:19And the voting is turning out as normal.
01:22We have talked to some of the electoral authorities and some of the voting centers.
01:26The process is quicker this time because the voting in the second term is easier in terms of the procedure.
01:34They only have one item to choose from the presidential candidates, right?
01:38So that is speeding up the process so people are coming and going.
01:43I was saying one hour and a half, at least here in Rio de Janeiro, for voting centers to conclude.
01:50What happens afterwards, Luis?
01:53The voting machines, of course, everyone who comes to a voting center up to 5 p.m. local time will
01:59be able to vote, even if they're still in line.
02:02And afterwards, all the voting machines are gathered, that those tallies are sent to the electoral authorities here in the
02:12region.
02:12And from there, the information is passed on to the electoral authorities that then go and announce the results as
02:20they come.
02:21So because it is an electronic and very easy process, the results will be coming in as of 5 p
02:29.m. local time on the official site of the electoral tribunal.
02:35So we'll be looking at that.
02:37Probably, Luis, when we next speak, we'll already have at least some first results.
02:42Elena, I wanted to ask you about voter turnout.
02:45As we recall, the first round is one of the highest voter turnout for a Brazilian election.
02:49What is your take of what you've seen from different point stations that you have traveled in Rio?
02:54And especially in these final hours, do you see the numbers higher?
02:57Or we can expect that we will have the same number as in the first round?
03:04Well, of course, we do not know.
03:06It's something that is very, very difficult to say just from the streets.
03:11We have been seeing a turnout probably close to what we saw last time.
03:16But we do not know the numbers.
03:19You know that Brazil is such a great country with different zones, with different dynamics.
03:26So really, we need to see and wait for official numbers.
03:30Those official numbers are going to be released by the electoral tribunal right after 5 p.m.,
03:37as I was saying, with the first election results.
03:40So we have no say, but we do know that participation and turnout will be key.
03:46That is for sure.
03:4833 million people, around 33 million people, did not vote in the first round.
03:53You were completely correct.
03:55That is the highest number for people not going to vote that could in the last decades.
04:03So definitely, that was one of the goals of the campaign, particularly of Lula da Silva,
04:09that needs to turn around the election in order to win today.
04:12There are many reasons why that could be.
04:15For example, people who are eligible to vote but are not mandatory, for example,
04:22over the age in which the vote continues to be compulsory.
04:26So we will have to see after 5 p.m., Luis, to really know has the turnout shifted considerably.
04:34Historically, it does.
04:35So let's see.
04:36For the detailed information, as always, we'll stay in touch in Ocone Newsbreak for more details
04:41on how this election, and as we were saying, by the time we speak again,
04:45the polls will likely be closed and vote counting will be on the way.
