Mobilization in the streets and on social media made the difference. But the election was marked by a chaotic election day, polarization, and a rightward shift in the country.
Lula’s comeback cannot be explained by triumphalism or a marketing formula, but rather by the rejection of Flávio Bolsonaro and a grassroots mobilization that turned the threat into votes.
Lula’s victory in Brazil ushers in a new phase marked by the right’s parliamentary strength and pressure from an increasingly adverse regional landscape.
The mobilization of civil society in the streets and on social media demonstrated that citizen participation can halt the advance of authoritarianism and defend democracy in the face of political disenchantment.
