Rodrigo Nunes, Camila Rocha, Miguel Lago and Juliano Fiori

Brazil, Latin America’s richest and most populous country, goes to the polls on 25 October for a run-off between President Lula da Silva and Flávio, the son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro. The country’s choice will define the future of Brazilian democracy, as well as sovereignty and politics across the entire region.

Openly backed by Trump and Rubio, Flávio is currently leading the polls after finishing the first round with 47% of the vote. He is running on an authoritarian platform, promising to construct Bukele-style megaprisons, rewrite the 1988 Constitution, slash the state, cede Brazil's rare earths to the US, and, of course, free his father.

Along with Mexico, Brazil is one of the last holdouts against the right-wing wave sweeping Latin America, as country after country elects a pro-Trump right-wing candidates. Over the last couple of weeks, pro-democratic forces have taken to the street in historic mobilisations in the hope of thrusting Lula towards re-election. But can he overcome the deficit from the first round?

Equator is teaming up with Alameda for an event with leading Brazilian public intellectuals on this most important of elections – on its stakes for Brazil and for the world.