Brazil's Oct. 25 presidential runoff could affect mining and forest policy in the Amazon, according to a Guardian podcast published Oct. 23 that reports on views from Roraima.
The contest pits President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. The program's Roraima reporting comes from Tom Phillips, the Guardian's Latin America correspondent. Roraima is Brazil's northernmost state.
The Guardian says some people there hope a Bolsonaro victory would bring mining activity back. Indigenous activists are prepared to resist if he wins, the episode reports. It also cites the administration of Jair Bolsonaro as a precedent, saying it oversaw the clearing of 11 million acres (4.5 million hectares) of rainforest.
Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) estimated that 3,335 square kilometers were cleared in the Legal Amazon from Aug. 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026. The preliminary satellite estimate was 41.8% below the previous period. INPE described it as the lowest annual deforestation rate in its historical series, which began in 1988. EconoTimes previously covered the Amazon deforestation estimate.
Brazil's presidential runoff is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25.
