How the streets and social media drove Lula to a historic comeback in Brazil
Summary
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s presidential runoff after finishing second in the first round. Student protests, a coordinated social-media campaign, and government benefit payments helped revive his campaign, while voters also expressed concern about a return of the Bolsonaro family to power.Key Facts
- Lula’s first-round total was 53.9 million votes, rising to 64.2 million in the runoff.
- Flávio Bolsonaro received 3.7 million more votes in the runoff than his 56.1 million first-round total.
- Student protests against a Bolsonaro-family return began in Niterói and spread to other parts of Brazil.
- Lula thanked young people who took to the streets to defend democracy.
- Congressman André Janones launched the WhatsApp channel “Lula’s Army” two days after the first round.
- The channel grew from 60,000 followers on its first day to more than 10 million by election day.
- Lula approved expanded and earlier payments from the main cash-transfer program for poor families during the campaign.
- Political scientist Camila Rocha said voters feared losing rights and a concentration of power under Bolsonaro.
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