Cristina Kirchner meets Lula’s digital strategist in a bid to replicate his comeback in Argentina

Former Argentine President Cristina Kirchner met Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's digital strategist André Janones in Buenos Aires on Monday, as the Peronist opposition seeks Brazil's playbook to defeat far-right presidential candidate Javier Milei in the 2027 election. Janones, a federal deputy for Minas Gerais, runs the "Lula's Army" WhatsApp channel, boasting over 10.4 million followers who receive daily instructions to share and amplify content on social media.

This strategy played a role in Lula's re-election against Flávio Bolsonaro on October 25. Following his meeting with Janones, Kirchner's Peronists launched their own "Peronism's Army," which has since grown to more than 80,000 followers. Kirchner, serving a six-year corruption sentence and barred from public office, shared a photo with Janones expressing her belief in their shared ability to defeat the far-right.

Lula's digital team distributed the photo on their channel, which garnered over 60,000 interactions within an hour. Janones also met Peronists' presidential candidate Sergio Massa but not Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof, who represents the opposing camp in the 2027 presidential race. The visit comes as the Peronists grapple with internal divisions over their nominee.

Kirchner, who hopes to overturn her conviction through international courts, stated in a recent Washington Post interview that she could run again once her political rights are restored. Janones, re-elected in October, ruled out a ministerial role in Lula's potential government and plans to return to Brazil on Tuesday, denying rumors of a possible role in Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's campaign before the November 29 general election.