How Lula’s Army Saved Brazil’s 2026 Elections

É Preciso Dar Um Jeito, Meu Amigo (‘It’s Necessary to Figure It Out, My Friend’), goes the famous song by Erasmo Carlos. Like many other musicians and artists who lived under Brazil’s 21-year military dictatorship, Carlos had to look for a way to encode messages in his art. 55 years later, Brazilians have figured it out.

Brazil’s general election brought two controversial political figures into competition: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, seeking a fourth term as president after a turbulent political journey marked by corruption allegations, and Flávio Bolsonaro, carrying the political legacy of his father, former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. Both figures are infamous for their divisive politics, attracting both passionate supporters and fierce critics.

It was the most polarised I have ever seen my country. Fights, fights and more fights — on social media, in my family, amongst my friends. And, as Bolsonaro took the lead in the first round of the presidential elections, the odds seemed firmly stacked in his favour. Since the country's redemocratisation, no candidate who had won the first round had ever lost the second.

It seemed that Brazil’s future had already been decided for us. It would be in the hands of a man with countless cases of corruption who has made calls to change the constitution, aiming to deliver the country into the hands of the U.S. I watched in a hypnotic daze as he called Lula, who lost his finger in a workplace accident, ‘nine fingers’ during the final presidential debate. I was scared, and many others were too.

The first week or so was marked by defeat, objections and tears. They say it's either fight, flight or freeze, and we were frozen, while the “Bolsonaristas” celebrated. But, to my surprise, we didn’t stay frozen. We did the exact opposite: Lula’s army decided to fight. Protests were seen all over the country, and outside of it too, with two taking place in Berlin. Over one million people protested at the Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, and a million others in São Paulo. Brazil’s youth took not only to the streets, but to the screens, with a strongly organised social media campaign so successful that it surprised Lula’s party itself.

Exército do Lula (Lula’s Army), a WhatsApp channel created by left-wing lawmaker André Janones, had over 10 million members at its peak. In it, supporters were encouraged to share videos, spread messages relevant to the campaign and foster positive discussions online. Bolsonaro’s WhatsApp group, in comparison, had a comparatively small number of over a million people.

Lula also adapted his approach, moving away from traditional campaign speeches in favour of a more informal, direct style of communication with supporters, increasingly using social media to reach voters. Social media was one reason Lula emerged victorious from the second round, but it was not the only one. A combination of online campaigns, in-person protests and public demonstrations brought about higher voter turnout between rounds, as the elderly–who represent 11% of voters, but are not obliged to vote like most Brazilian adults–showed up en masse.

With that, Brazilians figured it out, becoming an example of resistance internationally. The Faz o L slogan–a trending meme in which Lula supporters ‘do the L’ with their hand–has travelled far beyond Brazil, becoming a worldwide gesture that could just as easily spell Liberdade, Liberté, Libertà, Libertad, Liberty…

Ana Júlia Bital Neto is a BrazilianMaster of International Affairs candidate at the Hertie School, specialising in International Security. She is also a published independent author, with interests in political psychology and the effects of social media on domestic and international politics.