Elections in Brazil, activists fear that Bolsonaro will abolish the Indigenous ministry

Activists for the rights of indigenous peoples in Brazil fear that a possible victory for right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in the October 25 presidential run-off could lead to the suppression of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and the undoing of the progress made in recent years. This was reported by the environmental site Mongabay, quoting minister Eloy Terena, according to whom one of the first measures of a possible Bolsonaro government would be the abolition of the ministry, established in January 2023 by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Among the achievements claimed by the ministry include the homologation of 20 indigenous lands, the removal of illegal occupants from 12 territories and a 98.77% reduction in illegal mining on Yanomami land between March 2024 and January 2026.

Indigenous leader Ailton Krenak also fears a retreat in the protection of original communities, warning that the risk could also materialize through the weakening of institutions, without necessarily abolishing them. Flávio Bolsonaro has declared that he wants to continue the policies of his father Jair and has promised not to recognize new indigenous lands.