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This Sunday, Brazilians go to the polls for a runoff election, picking either Lula da Silva or Jair Bolsonaro as their next president. Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images hide caption

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Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

This Sunday, Brazilians go to the polls for a runoff election, picking either Lula da Silva or Jair Bolsonaro as their next president.

Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

On Sunday, Brazilians will go to the polls to choose between two very different presidential candidates. One is the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, who has been called Latin America's Trump. The other is leftist former president and working class icon, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The outcome of the presidential runoff vote will of course shape the future of Brazil's democracy. But the vote's impact could also be felt far beyond the country's borders.

We hear what the outcome could mean for the future of the Amazon rainforest and efforts to prevent catastrophic climate change. And then, NPR's Shannon Bond explains why conspiracy theories about Brazil's elections are circulating in the United States.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Ariana Gharib Lee. It was edited by William Troop and Tara Neil. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

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