What do Brazil’s elections mean for Indigenous issues?

30 Oct 2026 · 45 min

Episode What do Brazil’s elections mean for Indigenous issues?

0:00 44:47

Brazil’s historic election results have been a rollercoaster ride for the country and the international community. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ultimately defeated Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in the second presidential vote to claim a historic fourth term. The congressional vote earlier in the month, however, saw Bolsonaro's Liberal Party gain seats in both congressional houses.

Bertie is joined by Cultural Survival’s Brazil lead, Edson Krenak, to discuss the environmental and Indigenous context around the elections.

Edson and Bertie discuss the legacies of Bolsonaro and Lula's previous administrations, successful efforts to increase Indigenous voter turnout in the second presidential vote, and what comes next for communities affected by mining and deforestation in the Amazon.

“We don’t just want to vote and talk about politics. We want to be part of the decisions. We never had a positive experience with the state: it was always violent, colonial, and unjust. For the first time, we have had an experience with the state that can be fruitful.”

Further reading:

• '‘Amateur morons’: Flávio Bolsonaro’s short-lived ‘president-elect’ claim met with mockery', The Guardian, October 2026 • 'Brazil’s victory for the planet and democracy: seven lessons from Lula’s win', The Guardian, October 2026 • 'For Indigenous peoples in Brazil, the election results offer a reprieve — not a resolution', Grist, October 2026 • '2026 Elections and COP31: What’s Ahead for Indigenous Peoples in Brazil?', Cultural Survival, October 2026 • LET THE A’UWĒ-XAVANTE KEEP DREAMING: How Brazil’s FICO corridor violates the cultural integrity and consent rights of the A’uwẽ Xavante Peoples, and what international human rights law requires, Cultural Survival, 2026 • 'Climate diplomacy must shift focus from markets to land rights', Land and Climate Review, October 2025

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