Lula’s Historic Victory Repels Fascism and Opens a New Phase for Brazil
The people, with the youth at the forefront, led an epic triumph that opens a new chapter of social and democratic progress and the defense of national sovereignty.
Editorial by Portal Vermelho
The reelection of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is, above all, a victory for the Brazilian people, with the youth playing a prominent role over the far-right forces that tried to stifle their hopes, curtail their rights, and subordinate the country to the greed of U.S. imperialism. It affirms a Brazil moving toward national development, with social inclusion, sovereignty, democratic freedoms, and rights for the people.
This great achievement by the Brazilian people transcends the country’s borders. Amid the international rise of the far right, Lula’s victory is being celebrated by democratic, popular, and progressive forces from West to East. It is especially significant for the peoples and countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in the face of the United States’ neocolonial offensive in the region. Donald Trump’s neofascist government, which brazenly backed Flávio Bolsonaro, suffered a major defeat.
The turnaround began with young people’s response to the adverse first-round result. The National Union of Students (UNE) drew up a nationwide mobilization calendar for the campaign Students with Lula: in the Streets and Online. The Socialist Youth Union (UJS) played a key role in bringing this agenda to fruition, alongside Free Homeland Youth (JPL). It was the spark that set off one of the largest popular mobilizations across the country since the return to democracy. The mobilization grew enormously as millions of ordinary people enthusiastically joined in, alongside the trade union federations, social movements as a whole, artists, and intellectuals.
The digital battle was also decisive. Federal Deputy André Janones created the Lula’s Armychannel on WhatsApp, which surpassed ten million followers and became a hub for distributing videos, audio messages, and mobilization guidance. Other influential voices joined in, and millions more, who had not previously been active online, entered the internet arena. The campaign faced illegal and criminal acts by Meta—the parent company of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook—which restricted content about Lula and favored the far-right candidate.
President Lula, at 80 years of age, was the great leader and decisive factor in this victory for the nation, the people, the youth, and the working class. This was due to a combination of qualities: his stature as a statesman; the trust he enjoys among the people; the political courage he once again showed in confronting fascism; his deep patriotism in rejecting Trump’s moves; his ability to unite broad forces; the drive to carry out a diverse and bold agenda across the country; and his ability to respond to the new demands of the class struggle, as he showed in the runoff by spreading messages on social media. And, concretely, when he realized that the vast majority of the ruling classes had aligned themselves with the far right, he broke through the encirclement by deepening his commitment to defending the rights of the Brazilian people, the country’s sovereignty, and democracy.
This victory also reflects the role played by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. He was tasked with broadening the dialogue beyond the forces already in Lula’s camp, mobilizing political leaders, mayors, businesspeople, religious representatives, and figures aligned with other political currents—from the center and center-right to the right.
Together, the two fronts—the streets and social media—working in concert and coordinated with millions of activists and supporters, and grounded in the grassroots activism and leadership of progressive parties, confronted the power of the far-right alliance and much of the right, as well as the shameful bias of the powerful media monopolies. They exposed Flávio Bolsonaro and did what had seemed impossible: turned the election around and reelected President Lula.
The Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), its activist base, and its leaders were on the front lines of this confrontation, which will shape the country’s present and immediate future.
Lula’s fourth presidential term will have historic significance. It is born out of one of the greatest political confrontations in the history of the Republic. It emerges from the ballot box committed to an ambitious program: to kick-start sovereign development, including reindustrialization on new technological foundations that will create better jobs, with the wealth generated channeled into a new generation of rights for the people and greater recognition for work. It will deepen democracy and guarantee national sovereignty.
To advance this agenda, Lula will need to build a broad alliance in support of his government and continue to draw strength from popular mobilization in the streets and online. The task will be even more challenging given the advance of the right and far right, reflected in the new composition of the National Congress and the election of governors from this political camp in key states.
The victory thus opens a new phase of challenges, in which the strength secured at the ballot box must be turned into concrete advances for the country and the Brazilian people.
A powerful far-right wave, propelled by Trump, had been surging forward, convinced it was unbeatable as it swept from the Caribbean to South America; the White House was already celebrating Brazil as its next conquest.
But the Brazilian people, with the youth as the driving force, spoke out loud and clear: Not here! No one will fly a foreign flag in place of our green-and-yellow; no one will plunder our wealth; no one will take away our hard-won rights; no one will bury the democracy we fought so hard—and at the cost of so many lives—to win; we will not accept a return to the horrific, tragic past of fascism and the Bolsonaros; we will not accept anyone killing our plans and dreams of a better life!
And so, in pursuit of a promising and thriving future for Brazil and its people, the heroic, epic journey of the runoff secured President Lula’s fourth term.
After all, now is the time to celebrate this historic achievement by the Brazilian people!
