Brazil elections: Trailing in first round, victory in the second; how Lula secured a fourth term with WhatsApp's help
Lula’s fourth-term victory over Flávio Bolsonaro followed a dramatic second-round comeback in Brazil. A WhatsApp channel, Lula’s Army, helped mobilise millions of supporters online, while a push to reach absentees and focus on economic concerns helped turn the contest around.
In Brazil's recent elections, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva secured his fourth term, despite losing the first round of voting. This turnaround is largely attributed to the rise of a WhatsApp channel, "Lula's Army," led by Congressman André Janones. The channel mobilized supporters with pre-written messages and specific online tasks, such as sharing campaign videos and promoting hashtags.
The channel's rapid growth, reaching approximately 10.8 million followers, helped Lula's campaign compete with the conservative supporters who typically had an advantage in digital mobilization. The campaign focused on economic concerns, such as welfare payments, a shorter working week without a pay cut, and debt relief. Lula also took a tougher stance on crime and warned of potential spending cuts under Bolsonaro's proposed plan, which could threaten public services and welfare benefits.
The campaign's success can be attributed to factors like protecting democracy, persuading voters, shifting focus from Trump, and adopting a harder stance on crime.
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