Vai, Brasil
Updated: Oct 27
[Facebook Post Originally Shared on October 26th, 2026]
Long live democracy in all of its beauty. This is a very proud day for Brazil, and a great crisis has been staved. Voters rejected a return to fascism, to oppression, to the politics of fear and hatred, to the destruction of our entire planet's most critically important and endangered lifeline: the Amazon. On that final point alone, this was perhaps the most consequential presidential election of our lives.
Today, the majority of Brazilians said yes to humanity and respect for the rule of law.
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has been defeated in a shock upset after enjoying a narrow lead in the first round, whilst incumbent President Lula da Silva has made the comeback of his life, earning a fourth term (though they have not all been consecutive). Flávio is also the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, running in his senior's stead because Jair is currently serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup. We'll table that story for another time.
No one has ever been second place in the first round of a modern Brazilian presidential election and managed to win the runoff, until now. The Lula campaign was in crisis mode, prompting a nationwide mobilization. They embraced social media, Gen Z voices, and reclaimed online spaces so often dominated by agitated echo chambers.
Throughout this ordeal, Meta and the United States actively impeded and sabotaged online political discourse. Fortunately, those tactics were fruitless. Lula increased his vote share in just about every municipality compared with the far more razor-thin 2022 election. Young people organized. Student groups hit the streets. Savvy activists who had helped make gains in the coinciding congressional elections were invited to save the presidential one with renewed energy and purpose. Right-wing content is overwhelmingly favored by Big Tech algorithms, though prominent figures and grassroots groups overcame a great deal of this suppression with creativity of their own.
Effective communication, stubborn hope, and decisive action at the last minute saved the day. Everyone could've immediately succumbed to despair and complacency. They didn't. The end of Brazilian democracy would not be imminent, and it most certainly would not be quiet.
Might does not make right. Bullies are not leaders. A nation is not made great by who it excludes. A nation is not made great by how many missiles it launches or how many people it kills. A nation is not made great by the number of ways in which it can maximize excess for the grotesquely wealthy at the expense of everyone else.
No. A nation's greatness (or lack thereof) can be measured in its treatment of the lowest and least; the struggling, the forgotten, the abused, the exploited.
It's a tired trend — electing those who speak the loudest yet not the wisest.
Pushing people around doesn't make you strong.
Spewing unfiltered vitriol doesn't make you honest.
Flaunting boastful superiority doesn't make you honorable.
Compassion. Sincerity. Humility. These three things still matter to some of us out there.
The message of this victory will reverberate across Latin America and the world: dictators are not inevitable. The far right is not unstoppable. Trump's international subservience pipeline is running dry.
Peace is possible. People deserve to be treated like people.
Brazil has been delivered from the brink of self-destruction. Rejoice, for it is not easy. America failed to do the same, when it mattered most. Indeed, many have failed. Many may soon fail, especially in France and Germany. With the regressive backsliding occurring in India, the US, and Indonesia, Brazil stands as the world's most populous democracy that is demonstrating recovery in a positive direction, and Japan now stands as the world's most populous stable democracy.
Day by day, in these frightening times, we must do what good we can, when we can. When animosity populates the feeds and paranoia poisons the mind, we must deliberately and courageously choose to be kind to our neighbors and rational with our convictions.
Lula has survived and endured, through triumph and tribulation, controversy and concord. It's a life tale the most daring of fantasy authors would struggle to wrap their heads around — born in extreme poverty, selling peanuts as a child to survive, not learning how to read until the age of 10, losing a finger during his time as an industrial worker, fighting to destroy a dictatorship in the 70s and 80s, failing to win the presidency for over 20 years but never giving up. Look at him now. He's in FDR's company in terms of terms.
Sure, there have been bumps in the road. Poor choices; things worth disagreeing over. It's easy for one to be frustrated by Lula's too-excessive "neutrality" with Russia-Ukraine, or the financial controversies that have previously embroiled his party. It's tough for the most ardent of progressives to watch him engage in frequent compromise and concession with Congresses that are rarely on his side. I get that. But look at his sheer consistency — his resilience. Look at how he sticks to his values and defends himself from attack on all sides, right to the bitter end; even when he's been dragged through the mud, targeted, and denied due process. His pragmatism is dependable, and it is not a surrender of his core ideals and aspirations. In such a fragmented legislative apparatus, this is the nature and reality of governance; of getting anything done. Lula said it himself:
As we win elections, we no longer have adversaries. I have to govern for 215 million...I have to govern for all cities.
Whatever your opinion, tens of millions of Brazilians no longer live in poverty directly because of him. Tens of millions of Brazilians who otherwise would have starved do not go hungry tonight directly because of him. Tens of millions of Brazilians who otherwise might suffer waiting for a doctor have access to adequate medical care directly because of him. Tens of millions of Brazilians who never before would've imagined the possibility of an education can go to school because of him. Tens of millions of Brazilians have roofs above their heads and fair-paying jobs directly because of him. Brazil has weathered and withstood relentless attacks on its institutional integrity and has remained democratically solvent directly because of him. Brazil is a multilateral force for global dialogue and cooperation directly because of him.
Deforestation of the Amazon is down over 70% in just a handful of years directly because of him. Women have federally-mandated equal pay, access to daycare for their children, access to domestic violence shelters, increased public policy advocacy, Cabinet representation, and heightened access to menstrual care and resources directly because of his policies. They can receive six months of financial support if they flee a job or living situation due to gender-based violence because of his presidency. Marginalized groups have a seat at the table, indigenous groups have a seat at the table, they've been afforded new rights, new protections, and so much more because of Lula. Workers have a five-day workweek instead of a six-day workweek and 40 hours instead of 44 because his administration made it so, with no salary reduction.
Image Sources: Goway Travel (Left), Wikipedia (Center), CN Traveller (Right)
A much-needed relief this has been. Balm in an era of insanity and hardheartedness.
Be vulnerable. Be loving. It won't be appreciated by everyone, and you may find yourself lonely or ostracized at times. But I promise you, being vulnerable is still a much better use of your time than being vile.
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