WhatsApp 'Lula's Army' channel credited with Brazilian election turnaround

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 26 Oct, 15:50 · Archive

A WhatsApp channel called Lula's Army helped Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reverse a polling deficit to win re-election as Brazil's president.

A WhatsApp channel created to support Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's re-election campaign is being credited by allies with helping deliver one of the most unlikely comebacks in recent Brazilian politics. Brazil's left-wing president had been trailing right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro but managed to turn the race around in just three weeks.

The channel, called Lula's Army and led by Congressman André Janones, rapidly grew to 10.8 million followers. It encouraged supporters to share videos, promote hashtags and recruit new voters. The operation distributed ready-made templates for followers to share with friends and family, each assigning supporters a specific task aimed at boosting Lula's visibility on social media. Janones frequently instructed his 'troops' to 'blow up' the latest campaign video or help a new hashtag 'take off', with messages including 'Guys, urgent!', 'Don't go to sleep yet' and 'No food before the mission!'.

The emergence of Lula's Army was particularly significant because conservatives aligned with former President Jair Bolsonaro had long dominated online political mobilisation in Brazil, especially on WhatsApp and Telegram. The shift reversed a long-standing imbalance, convincing many supporters that Brazil's left had finally found a way to compete in the digital arena where social media has played a central role in Brazilian politics since Bolsonaro's 2018 election victory.

How it is being reported

• President Lula won Brazil election 'by WhatsApp' with cunning online campaignDr Matthew Richmond, a lecturer in political geography at Newcastle University, said 80-year-old President Lula relied on trusted allies to turn around his first-round defeatThe Mirror · 26 Oct, 17:36
• How 'Lula's Army' WhatsApp chat helped turn Brazil election aroundAs polls pointed to defeat, millions joined a 'Lula's Army' channel that is credited with helping transform online enthusiasm into real-world mobilisation.BBC World · 26 Oct, 15:37

In this story: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva · Flávio Bolsonaro · André Janones · Jair Bolsonaro · Brazil

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