President Lula's victory in Brazil's election was built on a digital campaign that mobilised millions of voters and could offer lessons for left-wing parties in the UK, according to an electoral analyst.
Dr Matthew Richmond, a lecturer in political geography at Newcastle University, said the 80-year-old president relied on trusted allies to overturn his first-round defeat.
Key Ally Led Online Push
Federal Deputy Andre Janones, a key lieutenant, gathered online support through WhatsApp groups and persuasive messaging. Each supporter was asked to contact three others to back the Lula campaign.
Dr Richmond described the response as "spontaneous and organic," with voter mobilisation growing "bigger and bigger."
Messi Analogy Inspired Supporters
He said: "Lula trusted Andre Janones to just get on with the online campaign on his behalf. It was said that Lula did not have a smart phone until quite recently."
"Janones used the analogy of Lionel Messi on the campaign trail. He said Messi was still the best player in the world but could not run around as much as before. So he said Lula should let others do some running for him. It was an inspiring message, and people did listen to that."
Lessons for the UK Left
Dr Richmond said there is a lesson for left-wing parties in the UK and Europe from the tactics used in the Brazil election.
He added: "They were really good on social media and mobilised groups to join them. They had a big powerful message and also pinpointed the weaknesses of the opposition."
"There is hope there for the left in this country in how you can win and defeat the far right. Lula's Workers Party had a WhatsApp group of 10m. That is still a fair proportion of the population to reach with your messaging. The opposition's biggest one had 2m. In a political context, each country is different."
"But in Brazil, Lula used those methods to reach quite a wide part of the population. The same could be done in the UK. His victory could provide clues for other parties."
