Following Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) unprecedented turnaround against Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) in the presidential race last Sunday, the 25th, in at least three countries nearing the electoral period, “digital armies” were created, inspired by the WhatsApp channel run by the elected deputy André Janones (Rede-MG), who led the left-wing mobilization in the second round.
The groups “Ejército del Peronismo”, in Argentina, “L’équipe de Mélenchon officielle”, in France, and “La Fuerza de la Gente”, in Spain, already total more than 270,000 followers. Just as in Janones’s strategy, the channels send statements, tasks and content to be shared and commented on on social media.
Argentine Channel Uses Hashtag Against Milei
On Friday afternoon, the 30th, the pro-Peronist channel against Javier Milei in Argentina published a video and then requested: “Let’s publish this video with all our might on social media using the hashtag #mileiaprendacomlula”.
The content of the video was about the prohibition of online betting houses in Brazil and cited the increase in food consumption following the prohibition decreed by the government.
Mélenchon Channel Grows in France
The French channel, for its part, has already sent posts by leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon with the requests “share massively!” and “we need as many comments as possible on this post!”.
Antoine Léaument, the communications chief of the LFI (France Insoumise) party, created by Mélenchon, went so far as to publish a video addressing Brazilians who joined the group. The channel, which now has more than 160,000 followers, had only 30,000 by the early afternoon of Tuesday, the 27th.
The Three Countries Draw Near the Electoral Period
The three countries draw near the electoral period. In Spain, President Pedro Sánchez moved the elections forward to November 29 of this year, amid parliamentary defeat and a housing crisis.
The French will go to the polls in the upcoming presidential election, with the first round scheduled for April 18 and the second round on May 2, 2027. The country is experiencing a wave of protests against the high cost of living.
In Argentina, electoral law defines that the election must take place next October.
