Brazil | Xukuru Nation favorite to win local elections in Pesqueira
On the October 6 election day, in the state of Pernambuco, the Xukuru indigenous nation is vying to take control of the Pesqueira Municipal Government. teleSUR
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00:00And one of the most interesting of Brazil's over 5,000 municipal elections happening this
00:04Sunday, October 6th, is taking place in Pernambuco, where the leader of the Xucuru indigenous
00:10nation is running for mayor.
00:12Our correspondent Brian Meir has more.
00:14Esquerra, a municipality of 67,000 in the back country of Pernambuco, is on the verge
00:21of undergoing a historic change after 350 years of oppressive relations between the
00:27residents of the town and the indigenous people who reside in the Orurba mountains
00:31above it.
00:32The Xucuru nation is favored to take control of the mayor's office and city council on
00:36election day, October 6th.
00:40We have been physically present in these lands for well over 500 years.
00:44The history of Brazil belongs to all of us, cannot be understood without us.
00:54We are the original inhabitants of this land called Brazil.
00:57Who doesn't know this?
00:58Yet in the 21st century, we have begun to achieve many victories, taking on a role of
01:07leadership that matches the size and importance of this state and this country.
01:17Marco Xucuru became chief at a young age after his father, a nationally known indigenous
01:22land rights activist named Chief Xicão, was assassinated by cattle ranchers in 1998.
01:28Chief Marcos won the mayoral election in 2020, but was blocked from taking office by a legal
01:34maneuver from local elites.
01:36After clearing his name in the courts, he was appointed planning commissioner.
01:39And if he wins on October 6th, he will be one of the first indigenous chiefs to ever
01:44hold elected office in Brazil.
01:48I think our town will change for the better because he is proposing a lot of marvelous
01:52projects and he deserves it.
01:55It's an issue of justice because the first time he won, they didn't let him take office.
02:01So if he wins now, it will be justice for him and for all of us who elected him.
02:07On October 6th, residents of all 5,665 municipalities in Brazil will come out to the polls to choose
02:14their new mayors and city councilors.
02:17Brian Muir, TELUSUR, Pesquero.