Sônia Guajajara is re-elected federal deputy for SP — Photo: Rony Eloy
Sônia Guajajara (PSOL-SP) was re-elected this Sunday (4) as federal deputy for São Paulo. With her victory, she wins a new mandate in the Chamber of Deputies and consolidates a trajectory marked by originality and the expansion of indigenous representation in Brazilian politics.
In 2022, Sônia became the first indigenous woman elected federal deputy for São Paulo. In the new mandate, it intends to work on issues such as protecting indigenous territories, combating deforestation, tackling the climate crisis, women's rights and reducing working hours.
"This victory has the strength of all the people who believe that Brazil needs to recognize its diversity in decision-making spaces. São Paulo elected me in 2022 and, now, renews this confidence. Each vote represents the certainty that indigenous peoples are not in politics just to symbolically occupy a place, but to participate in decisions about the direction of the state and the country", says Sônia.
Priorities
Among the priorities for the new mandate are combating deforestation and protecting forests; the demarcation and defense of territories and indigenous rights; confronting socio-environmental setbacks in Congress; combating misogyny and gender-based political violence; the reduction of working hours and the end of the 6x1 scale, without salary reduction.
Sônia also advocates that the climate emergency be treated as a national priority, with investments in climate justice in the peripheries, expansion of sanitation, protection of rivers and access to drinking water.
Also among the proposals are the strengthening of family farming, agroecology and policies to combat hunger; guaranteeing financing for indigenous health and strengthening the SUS; and anti-racist education, which values Brazilian diversity and expands the access and permanence of indigenous people in universities.
The fight against Marco Temporal is also among the agendas defended by the deputy.
"The message from the polls in São Paulo is clear: defending biomes, combating the climate crisis and confronting the Temporal Framework are not isolated agendas, but the center of the country's development project. Our commitment in the plenary will be to block any attempt to roll back constitutional rights and ensure that the public budget prioritizes the ecological transition and life."
Sônia Guajajara celebrates victory — Photo: Personal archive
Trajectory
A member of the Guajajara/Tentehar people, Sônia was born on the Araribóia Indigenous Land, in Maranhão. She left her village at the age of 10 to study and later graduated in Literature and Nursing, specializing in Special Education.
His political activity began in the indigenous movement, where he gained national and international recognition in defending territories, the rights of indigenous peoples and combating the climate crisis.
In 2018, Sônia became the first indigenous woman to join a presidential ticket in Brazil, as a candidate for Vice-Presidency of the Republic. Four years later, she was elected federal deputy for São Paulo.
In 2023, he took a leave of absence to take over the newly created Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, becoming the first indigenous person to command a ministerial portfolio in the country.
At the head of the ministry, Sônia participated in the structuring of the new department and worked on demarcation policies, territorial protection, health, environmental management and combating illegal mining. In 2026, he left the Executive to run for re-election and defend the transformation of these measures into permanent State policies.
"I was the first at different times, but I never wanted to be the only one. Each space we occupy needs to pave the way for other indigenous women, other leaders and other ways of thinking about Brazil. The re-election shows that this presence is not temporary and that society recognizes the importance of having more diversity in the National Congress", he declares.
International projection
Sônia's trajectory also gained prominence outside Brazil. She participated in climate conferences and international forums, taking to these spaces the defense that indigenous territories are fundamental for the protection of biodiversity and the planet's climate balance.
In 2022, she was included by the North American magazine Time in the list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
"Indigenous peoples represent a small portion of the world's population, but they protect a fundamental part of the planet's biodiversity. When Brazil elects an indigenous woman to Congress, it sends a message to the world that our knowledge, our territories and our political participation are essential to face the climate crisis and build a future with justice", he states.
During the 2026 campaign, Sônia presented as priorities the fight against deforestation, the protection of forests and indigenous territories, the fight against socio-environmental setbacks, climate justice in the peripheries, women's rights, the end of the 6x1 scale without salary reduction, access to water and sanitation, the production of healthy food, the strengthening of the SUS and anti-racist education.
The campaign was also guided by Aldear a Política, an initiative aimed at expanding indigenous participation in spaces of power, and by Reflorestar Mentes, a movement that brought together leaders, artists, researchers, women and civil society representatives around the defense of the climate, diversity and indigenous knowledge.
"True sovereignty is keeping the forest standing and guaranteeing the constitutional territorial rights of indigenous peoples and traditional communities. The energy transition reserves are, for the most part, preserved precisely in our territories. The National Congress cannot give in to the predatory lobby nor bargain our biological wealth. Defending demarcation and combating setbacks such as the Marco Temporal is the only way to prevent Brazil from being pushed into a position of neocolonial subordination." — Sônia Guajajara, federal deputy re-elected from São Paulo.
