# Lula's Army Beats Social Media Algorithms

> Brazil's Lula wins runoff election with help from WhatsApp army and social media tactics.
- Title: Lula's Army Beats Social Media Algorithms · Scroll | Shortify
- Summary: Brazil's Lula wins runoff election with help from WhatsApp army and social media tactics.
- Keywords: brazil, lula, flavio bolsonaro, whatsapp, social media, presidential election, runoff election, militias, bolsa familia, indigenous communities, india, Scroll
- Source: Scroll — https://scroll.in/article/1097067/letter-from-brazil-how-lulas-army-beat-the-social-media-algorithms-to-pull-off-a-startling-win
- Author: Laura Erber
- Published: 2026-11-14T03:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: brazil, lula, flavio bolsonaro, whatsapp, social media, presidential election, runoff election, pt, militias, bolsa familia, indigenous communities, india
## First Round Results
Flavio Bolsonaro won 47.03% of votes in first round, Lula da Silva got 45.16%.
## Student Marches
Thousands of students marched in Rio demanding Lula's victory and education reforms.
## Bolsa Família Impact
Bolsa Família program helps 11 million families with monthly cash for education and health.
## WhatsApp Campaign
Lula's WhatsApp channel grew from 50,000 to over ten million followers in three weeks.
## Social Media Tactics
Lula supporters used AI to create fake football shirts, confusing social media algorithms.
## Militias and Police
Police officers and militias supported Lula, opposing Bolsonaro's far-right government.
## Indigenous Communities
Indigenous communities voted in large numbers to protect their lands from agribusiness.
## Runoff Election
Lula won runoff with 51.7% of votes after abstention dropped from 21.08% to 19.21%.
## Lula's Victory
Lula da Silva wins presidential election with 51.7% of votes after social media campaigns.
## Social Media Algorithms
Social media platforms treated Lula's campaign differently from Bolsonaro's.
## Bolsonaro's Party
Bolsonaro's Liberal Party won 121 seats in Chamber of Deputies, largest bloc since 1988.
## Lula's Army
Lula's supporters created a network of over ten million people using social media.
## Bolsa Família Details
Bolsa Família program pays 13,000 rupees monthly to 84% of mothers in low-income families.
## Indigenous Vote
Indigenous communities voted in red to protect their lands from Bolsonaro's government.
## Health Workers
Health workers reminded voters about public health system after Bolsonaro's pandemic.
## Lula's Victory Speech
Lula said WhatsApp army must not disband to keep social programs.
## Key takeaway

Lula da Silva wins Brazilian presidential runoff with 51.7% of votes after social media campaigns by his supporters.