Lula Wins Brazil Presidency Amid Grassroots Mobilization

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's leftist president, has won a fourth term in office after a runoff election. His victory was largely driven by the efforts of ordinary citizens, particularly in Salvador, where public transport was disrupted on election day.

In Salvador, the city's buses stopped running on election day, forcing residents to improvise their own transport. Martins Mafra, a history teacher, used his car to ferry stranded voters, emphasizing the importance of taking action over passive complaints or online posts.

The urgency for Lula's campaign came after the first round, where right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro led. This raised concerns that the Bolsonaro family could regain power, prompting Lula's supporters to organize social media campaigns, free taxi rides, and grassroots efforts, which helped Lula gain over 10 million votes between the rounds.

Lula's team worked to reboot his campaign, which had faced internal conflicts and complacency. Lula, who is 81, acquired a smartphone to engage with digital platforms shaping Brazil's political discourse. A key figure in this effort was Andre Janones, who created a WhatsApp channel called 'Lula's Army,' which grew from 50,000 to over 10 million members by the runoff.

Bolsonaro, the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, left for the United States and disputed the election results, calling Lula's 10 million vote gain questionable. He also criticized the two-hour extension of voting hours, which Lula's campaign requested due to the bus disruption in Bahia. The federal electoral court found the extension had little impact on the outcome.

In Salvador, Brazilian law mandates free public transport on election day, but reports indicated many buses were off the road. Inspectors found 944 buses in depots, with at least 30% of the fleet out of service. The mayor, Bruno Reis, claimed the buses were stopped due to Lula stickers on them, which violated electoral rules. The Bahia electoral court ordered the arrest of the transportation chief, Pablo Souza, but revoked the order after voting ended, calling for an investigation.

Bahia, a key Lula stronghold, saw a significant increase in voter turnout in the runoff. Salvador, a city of over 2.5 million, contributed almost a quarter of the additional voters. Gabriel Mercury, a Salvador resident, helped mobilize voters by organizing coffee meetings and offering rewards for identifying Bolsonaro proposals that helped workers. He also coordinated volunteer drivers to transport voters to polling stations, estimating they moved around 600 people.

Uber drivers also contributed by offering free rides worth up to 50 reais. Nicole Soares, 18, waited 40 minutes for a bus but still voted for Lula. Others, like Grecia de Jesus Nunes, a 54-year-old street vendor, were unable to vote due to limited bus service but still celebrated Lula's victory, calling him a central part of her life.