Brazil Amazon election: Indigenous groups warn transport barriers may limit runoff voting

Indigenous groups in Brazil’s Amazon said transport gaps may stop some voters reaching polling stations for the 29 October runoff. The worry is strongest in the Javari Valley, a remote area in Amazonas state. Its residents often depend on organised boat travel to vote. The runoff includes races for governor and president.

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The Amazonas state electoral court rejected a request for help on Tuesday. The petition came from Univaja, which represents Indigenous peoples in the Javari Valley. Officials said the request came too late. The court also pointed to long distances and low river levels. These factors slow boats and limit planning.

Amazonas election runoff transport for Indigenous voters

In Amazonas, voters were set to choose between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro is a far-right candidate and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Recent polling suggested a close contest, with Bolsonaro in front. In the first round, Bolsonaro won in Manaus, while Lula won in many interior towns.

Brazil’s electoral rules say remote Indigenous communities must receive transport support. In the Javari Valley, some villages act as voting centres for nearby communities. Even so, some voters live up to 895 kilometres from polling sites. Boat journeys can take three to five days. The logistics were complex during the dry season.

Eliesio Marubo, an Indigenous lawyer with Univaja, said coordination failed before the first round. "We usually help the electoral authorities organise the logistics so these voters can get to the polls,\" Marubo said. \"This year was very different: the electoral authorities made no contact about organizing transportation.\"

Marubo linked the transport problems to low turnout earlier in the month. \"We had a very high abstention rate in the first round.\" Marubo said Univaja then contacted authorities directly. The group filed its petition on 13 October. Marubo said the organisation still feared many voters would be unable to participate.

Amazonas election runoff court decision and logistics limits

The judge said arranging boats was not possible in the time left. The ruling cited huge distances between settlements and polling places. It also noted that low river levels required slower boats. The court said these limits made it impossible to organise transport in time for the runoff.

The judge also described unusual barriers to delivering election equipment. The decision said military aircraft were needed to move voting machines and election staff. Access was limited across parts of the region. The ruling added that meeting needs relied on complex river travel. It said public authorities lacked resources to act quickly.

The Indigenous rights unit at the Amazonas Public Defenders Office said it also petitioned authorities. The office said it acted after receiving reports from Indigenous leaders and groups. Those reports described difficulties reaching polling places for the runoff. The scale of potential disruption remained unclear in public statements.

Amazonas election runoff background on voting access in Javari Valley

Most people in the Amazon lived in cities, but many families remained in tiny villages. Some communities were several days by boat from the nearest urban area. The Javari Valley was among the most isolated regions. It also included Indigenous communities living in isolation. Official data estimated the valley’s population at about 6,300.

Access to voting has long been difficult in the area. Until 2012, the only voting centres were in Atalaia do Norte. That year, a mayoral candidate gave petrol to about 1,200 Indigenous voters. The fuel did not cover the return trip. People stayed stranded for weeks on riverbanks, without proper sanitation.

Health impacts followed the 2012 trip. A rotavirus outbreak spread among those stranded. Five Kanamari babies died, and about 100 people were hospitalised. The experience later shaped planning for voting access. It also increased calls for voting sites closer to remote settlements.

In 2014, villages in the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory received their first voting centres. The change followed efforts led by Bruno Pereira. Pereira was an Indigenous expert who died in 2022. Pereira was on assignment in the Javari Valley with British journalist Dom Phillips. At the time, Pereira led the local bureau of Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency.

Pereira helped organise support and health protection measures. Pereira provided food and water and coordinated quarantine steps. These actions aimed to stop the virus reaching Indigenous villages. Later, Pereira and Indigenous leaders planned how to move electronic voting machines. The plan focused on reaching remote villages across the territory.

The Associated Press sought comment from several bodies. The Amazonas electoral court, the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court, and the Indigenous affairs agency did not respond. Marubo said the number of affected voters was unknown. \"The right to vote and run for office is guaranteed by the Constitution. That right is not being guaranteed, because authorities are responsible for organising the logistics so everyone can exercise it without difficulty,\" Marubo said.

The dispute came as environmental records were also discussed during the campaign. Deforestation rose by 60 per cent under former President Bolsonaro. Lula’s government announced the lowest Amazon deforestation rate on record last week. In Amazonas, organisers and Indigenous leaders said transport planning remained central. They said it would shape whether remote communities could vote.

With inputs from PTI