The social media platform WhatsApp is being credited as the secret weapon behind Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s dramatic come-from-behind victory in the Brazilian presidential election.

Lula, who previously did not use a mobile phone, was gifted Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S26 Ultra as his first-ever smartphone to conduct digital campaigning on WhatsApp, actively engaging with the public through social media.

According to the British daily The Guardian and the BBC on the 26th (local time), Lula's campaign launched a WhatsApp channel named "Lula's Army" following a trailing defeat in the first round of the election on the 4th of this month, amassing 10.8 million followers in just three weeks.

André Janones, a federal deputy and close aide to Lula, spearheaded aggressive campaigning through the channel by posting dozens of videos daily and hosting a 24-hour YouTube live stream the day before the vote. During his victory speech the following day, Lula referred to Janones as "our general."

At 81 years old, Lula himself drew attention during the campaign by recording selfie videos and declaring, "From now on, I will communicate with the Brazilian people multiple times every day."

According to Brazilian local media Metrópoles, Lula was originally known to have no personal mobile phone, but received his very first phone as a gift during this election cycle to join forces with "Lula's Army."

A roughly one-minute video released on X (formerly Twitter) on the 21st shows Rafael Fonteles, the Governor of Piauí, handing a box containing the Galaxy S26 Ultra to Lula. In response, Lula promises to personally access the "Lula's Army" WhatsApp channel. At the end of the video, Lula is seen holding the newly unboxed smartphone, calling it "the weapon of our army."

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung's flagship smartphone released in February of this year. The exact background behind choosing a Galaxy as his first smartphone has not been disclosed. Experts analyze that such social media campaigning consolidated Lula's voter base and galvanized on-field campaigning, ultimately contributing to his presidential victory.

This achievement is drawing even more attention given that the social media space was previously considered dominated by right-wing politicians, including candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. In fact, social media is widely evaluated to have played a core role when Jair Bolsonaro, father of Flávio and former president, won the 2018 election.

Denilde Holzhacker, a professor at ESPM University in Brazil, told the BBC, "It is commendable that Lula recognized his weaknesses and completely changed his style. Lula's strategist Janones succeeded in doing something that was previously hard to imagine for the Brazilian left: mastering social media."

Mayra Goulart, a professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, likewise analyzed that Lula’s victory was "the result of combining social media with grassroots mobilization activities in the streets." She added, "This not only helped reduce abstention rates but also successfully converted a significant number of undecided voters into supporters."

Projections also suggest that these efforts will serve as a useful asset for the upcoming Lula administration taking office next year.

In his victory speech the day before, Lula stated, "We will ensure that the people have a greater voice in the decision-making process, and digital communication will play a much larger role in government."

During a presidential election celebration event on the 26th, he also promised, "I have already received a smartphone as a gift. I will communicate directly with you through the [WhatsApp] channel, rather than through the media anymore."

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]