Lula turns to selfie videos in Brazil election fightback

{"text":[[{"start":8.3,"text":"After almost half a century in politics and facing potential defeat in his final act, Brazil’s octogenarian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has discovered a new electoral weapon: the smartphone."}],[{"start":22.05,"text":"The leftwinger known as Lula, who made his name addressing striking metalworkers in the 1970s and said last year that he did not own a mobile phone, has begun filming selfie videos as he fights to secure a historic fourth term against the odds."}],[{"start":37.65,"text":"“There is no reason not to get up and vote. Brazil needs you. Democracy needs you,” the 80-year-old said in one such clip on Instagram this week."}],[{"start":47.2,"text":"Lula’s belated embrace of the format is part of a last-ditch offensive to win a tight election run-off on October 25, after hard-right opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro topped an inconclusive first round with a nearly two-point advantage earlier this month."}],[{"start":63.050000000000004,"text":"While Bolsonaro is still slightly ahead in the polls, there are some signs that Lula is narrowing his lead as he tries to mount an unlikely comeback. His camp has sought to revamp its digital strategy to vanquish the 45-year-old son of jailed ex-president Jair Bolsonaro."}],[{"start":79.85000000000001,"text":"Alongside homemade Lula content, the campaign has drafted in younger leftwing influencers and promoted mass messaging to supporters."}],[{"start":87.95,"text":"“I do believe that greater intensity on social media can save us,” Ana Elisa, a 21-year-old elected to Congress for Lula’s Workers’ Party, told local media last week. The incoming lawmaker, who herself has 4.9mn followers on Instagram, added: “The only place the left lost was on social networks.”"}],[{"start":109.65,"text":"Social media and apps have become arguably the key political battleground in Brazil — and one dominated by the populist Bolsonarismo movement. Lula first won the presidency in 2002 by forging a strong emotional connection with voters, but in the era of social networks, he and his party have been consistently two steps behind the right."}],[{"start":130.55,"text":"Roberto Reis, an electoral strategist, said he believed the digital push was too little, too late. “There’s a historic irony. Lula constructed a trajectory as one of Brazil’s best in-person communicators, on the stage and in conversations,” he added."}],[{"start":147.20000000000002,"text":"“Brazilians have profoundly changed their way of communicating, and Lula took too long to understand this. Starting to produce videos on your cell phone at age 80 demonstrates a willingness to adapt, but also reveals electoral urgency bordering on desperation.”"}],[{"start":164.35000000000002,"text":"Whereas the right had built a “communications ecosystem”, the Workers’ Party (PT) continued to rely on an “excessively traditional and centralised structure”, he added."}],[{"start":174.60000000000002,"text":"Lula and the PT already had a substantial online presence, but critics said the earlier content often lacked spontaneity and a personal touch. The left-winger’s first published selfie video racked up more than 28mn views and he has since posted more, including a clip of himself talking to camera while on a treadmill at the gym."}],[{"start":195.55,"text":"Éden Valadares, national communications secretary for the PT, said Lula’s digital pivot was having “a significant impact”. "}],[{"start":203.5,"text":"“Our engagement metrics — including views, likes and reach — have grown substantially,” he told the FT. “Together with street-level mobilisation . . . it injects new energy into the campaign.”"}],[{"start":215.9,"text":"While no first-round runner-up has ever gone on to win the presidency, analysts caution against writing off Lula. The former trade unionist, who previously ruled between 2003 and 2010, is contesting his seventh and almost certainly last presidential election. Allies were buoyed by the huge turnout at a rally in São Paulo last Sunday."}],[{"start":237.70000000000002,"text":"Since the first round Lula has unveiled a series of new pledges. This week he rolled out a debt forgiveness scheme and one-off R$5,000 ($984) grant to “micro-entrepreneurs” — measures denounced by opponents as vote-buying. He also wants to offer free bus travel at weekends."}],[{"start":256.65000000000003,"text":"The government on Wednesday won congressional approval for the abolition of a six-day working week, benefiting 15mn people. "}],[{"start":264.85,"text":"With Bolsonaro promising to reduce government spending, Lula supporters have spread rumours online that he will cut welfare and public services."}],[{"start":273.90000000000003,"text":"Yet sceptics argue the leftwinger’s problem is not just the medium but the message itself. Despite relatively low unemployment and steady growth during Lula’s third term, many Brazilians are unhappy with living costs, household debt and gangs. Bolsonaro has pledged a crackdown on crime, lower taxes and closer alignment with the US."}],[{"start":295.75000000000006,"text":"As it adopts a more combative approach online, Lula’s campaign has clashed with the top electoral watchdog, which his supporters accuse of censorship."}],[{"start":304.6000000000001,"text":"The leftist questioned the impartiality of the body’s president, a Supreme Court justice appointed by the elder Bolsonaro, after he ordered the temporary suspension of a popular pro-Lula WhatsApp channel run by an allied lawmaker."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":318.9000000000001,"text":"In parallel, Lula’s team accused Meta — the owner of WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram — of favouring his rival. The campaign complained to the electoral watchdog about problems including brief restrictions on promoting posts, interrupted view counts and reduced content visibility."}],[{"start":334.7000000000001,"text":"The US tech group rejected the underlying accusation: “It is unfortunate that minor technical issues are being spun into a political narrative that suggests Meta is acting to support one side or the other. Nothing could be further from the truth,” it said."}],[{"start":347.6500000000001,"text":"Given the high number of voters who say they would never back Lula, his path to victory is narrow, according to analysts. Three of the four other best-ranked candidates have publicly lent their support to his rival Bolsonaro."}],[{"start":360.6000000000001,"text":"More than a fifth of the registered electorate stayed away from the polls in the first round, a relatively high rate in a country with largely compulsory voting. No-show voters are typically lower-income and less educated, groups that typically lean towards Lula, said Mauricio Moura, founder of pollster Ideia. "}],[{"start":378.4000000000001,"text":"“It’s not going to be easy,” said Moura. “As a core strategy [Lula’s team] need to make people who did not show up in the first round get out to vote.”"}],[{"start":387.30000000000007,"text":"Additional reporting by Beatriz Langella "}],[{"start":397.50000000000006,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1792366441_4461.mp3"}