It was arguably the most important election of the year. Latin America’s biggest nation, and one of the world’s largest democracies, pulled off yet another electoral shocker by handing Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva a historic fourth term in office.
It was a remarkable comeback for the former union-leader-turned-politician, who won his first term in office on his fourth attempt and after briefly spending time in detention on trumped-up corruption charges, repeatedly rallied his base to defeat both former President Jair Bolsonaro and his junior. His victory also came on the heels of back-to-back right-wing populist victories across Latin America, including in pivotal states of Argentina, Chile, and Colombia in recent years.
Unsurprisingly, ‘Lula’ portrayed his campaign not only as a defense of the country’s fragile democracy against Bolsonarismo-a toxic yet inchoate cocktail of naked demagoguery, shameless disinformation, subtle militarism, and destructive anti-regulation, anti-environment, and anti-labor ideology. Lula also portrayed his campaign as the ‘last stand’ against a new era of American interference in the region. After all, United States President Donald Trump not only militarily deposed Venezuela’s left-wing dictator, Nicolás Maduro, but has also actively backed like-minded allies from Argentina (Javier Milei) to El Salvador (Nayib Bukele), Ecuador (Daniel Noboa) and Peru (Keiko Fujimori) against more progressive rivals. If anything, other powerful actors, including tech billionaires and Israel’s right-wing government, have allegedly also backed Washington’s new aggressive strategic thrust in the region.
Perhaps even more importantly, Lula was up against widespread public disenchantment. Despite years of gradual economic revival even in the face of Trump tariffs and clashes with tech giants such as Twitter (now X), Lula struggled to bring about inclusive development. Decades of neoliberal reforms coupled with the Iran war shock have made stable, well-paying jobs scarce while the cost of living began to rise.
The upshot was the expansion of the so-called ‘precariat’ (precariously employed proletariat) class of Brazilians, many of whom resorted to the gig economy to make ends meet. The ‘Uberization’ of the Brazilian working class, therefore, struck at the heart of Lula’s literally Workers’ Party (Partido dos Trabalhadores) agenda, thus allowing the pro-capital Bolsonaro camp to claim the mantle of change by promising hackneyed free-market solutions, including environmentally destructive policies against Indigenous communities across the Amazon.
And yet, Lula prevailed again, thanks to his visceral understanding of emotive politics unlike any politician in the 21st century. ‘[I]t’s true that the people want change, [but] they want to move forward. They don’t want to go backward,’ Lula told the media in his final rally ahead of last weekend’s runoff elections. The 80-year-old incumbent rallied his supporters under the blazing sun and against the gorgeous backdrop of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The setting and his rhetoric couldn’t be more poetic. As a middle-aged businesswoman supporter told the media: ‘This is the kind of energy we want for Brazil. Brazil is ours.’
Up until the last minute, Lula egged on his supporters to show up, rightly diagnosing his defeat in the first round as a reflection of voter apathy. He was also aided by an 11th-hour surge in both online support-André Janones, a legislative ally, led the charge-as well as grassroots mobilization. As reports of voter disenfranchisement and intimidation streamed in-with Lula publicly complaining of (artificial) logistical hurdles preventing his supporters from casting their ballots-the country’s activist Supreme Court once again stepped in.
‘Given the seriousness of the facts described and in view of the clear urgency of the matter, I hereby order that the deadline for voting at all polling stations throughout Brazil be extended by two hours,’ Justice of the Supreme Federal Court Cristiano Zanin argued in a ruling that extended the election hours. This ultimately favored Lula’s side, thus prompting the opposition to cry foul and accuse the Lula-appointed judge of political bias. With Bolsonaro Jr. garnering a vast plurality of votes, the post-election landscape could turn grim.
Nevertheless, Lula’s magic prevailed. As Brazil expert Dr. Cecilia Lero told me last month during an interview in her office in New York, the role of emotions in politics is of vital importance. In particular, she emphasized the centrality of so-called ‘politics of joy’ in energizing progressive politics across the world: think of the vivacious carnivals, music, and art events undergirding PT-led political events. What has made Lula the most successful politician of the 21st century is how he combines hard-nosed coalition-building with an unshakable passion for democracy and a grassroots culture of samba, laughter, and hope. Politics, after all, is the business of inspiration.