President Lula won Brazil election 'by WhatsApp' with cunning online campaign

President Lula won Brazil election 'by WhatsApp' with cunning online campaign Dr Matthew Richmond, a lecturer in political geography at Newcastle University, said 80-year-old President Lula relied on trusted allies to turn around his first-round defeat President Lula's election victory in Brazil was based on a cunning online campaign which won over millions of voters - and could hold lessons for left-wing parties in the UK. Dr Matthew Richmond, a lecturer in political geography at Newcastle University and electoral analyst, said the 80-year-old man relied on trusted allies to turn around his first-round defeat. Key lieutenant Andre Janones gathered online support through WhatsApp groups and persuasive messaging. Each supporter was asked to contact three others to back the Lula campaign. Dr. Richmond said the response was 'spontaneous and organic,' resulting in voter mobilisation that grew 'bigger and bigger'. He said: "Lula trusted Andre Janones to just get on with the online campaign on his behalf. It was said that Lula did not have a smart phone until quite recently. "Janones used the analogy of Lionel Messi on the campaign trail. He said Messi was still the best player in the world but could not run around as much as before. "So he said Lula should let others do some running for him. It was an inspiring message, and people did listen to that." Dr Richmond said that there is a lesson for left-wing parties in the UK and Europe from the tactics used in the Brazil election. He added: "They were really good on social media and mobilised groups to join them. They had a big powerful message and also pinpointed the weaknesses of the opposition. "There is hope there for the left in this country in how you can win and defeat the far right. Lula's Workers Party had a WhatsApp group of 10m. "That is still a fair proportion of the population to reach with your messaging. The opposition's biggest one had 2m. In a political context, each country is different. "But in Brazil, Lula used those methods to reach quite a wide part of the population. The same could be done in the UK. His victory could provide clues for other parties."