# Amazon at stake in Brazil's election runoff

> Tom Phillips reports from Roraima on what Sunday's presidential vote means for the rainforest and Indigenous communities.
- Title: Amazon at stake in Brazil's election runoff · the Guardian
- Summary: Tom Phillips reports from Roraima on what Sunday's presidential vote means for the rainforest and Indigenous communities. Brazil's presidential runoff on…
- Keywords: brazil, amazon rainforest, flávio bolsonaro, jair bolsonaro, roraima, indigenous peoples, deforestation, mining, election runoff, climate crisis, news, world
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/oct/23/brazil-election-battle-for-amazon-podcast
- Published: 2026-10-23T02:00:56+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brazil, amazon rainforest, flávio bolsonaro, jair bolsonaro, roraima, indigenous peoples, deforestation, mining, election runoff, climate crisis, news, world
## Sunday's runoff will shape the Amazon
Tom Phillips, the Guardian's Latin America correspondent, travels to Roraima, Brazil's most northern state, to report on Sunday's presidential election runoff and its stakes for the rainforest.
## Roraima voters back mining expansion
Voters, preachers and politicians in Roraima heavily backed Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round, hoping he will restore mining that his father Jair encouraged when in power, which oversaw the felling of eleven million acres…
## Indigenous activists prepare to resist
Indigenous activists are determined to fight back against mining expansion and protect the rainforest even if the Bolsonaros return to power, with implications for Brazil and the climate crisis more broadly.
## Key takeaway

Brazil's presidential runoff on Sunday will determine the Amazon's fate, with voters in the north backing the far-right candidate who promises to restore mining.