Flávio lost.
A quick guide to saving Brazil from Bolsonarist chaos… again.
Lula won, Flávio lost. In a normal election, the loser picks up the pieces, goes home and starts getting ready for the next race. But Brazil hasn't been living in normal times for a while now.
With that in mind, we put together this guide to share what you can do — and what actually works — to cool the tempers of those who might feel called to throw more fuel on the fire. These are things you can do around you, in your day-to-day life.
Who to talk to
Don't bother with the fanatics. Consider this: if someone is in Bolsonaro's Telegram channel, they're a lost cause. Focus on the conservative, right-leaning crowd that doesn't call itself Bolsonarist — people who may even have voted for Flávio but have zero interest in political turmoil.
You just thought of someone while reading this. Go talk to that person.
Stay on point
To defuse coup-minded impulses, leave Lula's performance in government out of it. This guide exists to widen acceptance of the result among those who lost. If that's your focus right now, what will get more people to listen to you is:
- Don't attack Bolsonaro
- Don't defend Lula
Either one shuts the ears of the people you want to reach.
Remember: they asked for the extension too
Between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, the online conversation about voting machines and how the election was run added up to 1.1 million posts, according to the Democracia em Xeque institute. Around 5:10 p.m., the extension of voting hours led the debate. By 5:50 p.m., claims of a rigged election had overtaken it.
But the extension had concrete grounds:
In São Paulo, the city scheduled 40% fewer buses than on a weekday, and the Electoral Court had to demand the full fleet.
In Salvador, the consumer-protection agency found at least 370 buses sitting in garages during voting hours.
And most importantly:
Only 35,000 votes came in after 5 p.m.
You can agree that the Supreme Court's decision was rushed, that it came at the last minute, that it created unnecessary instability. But it's worth pointing out that the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which could have decided much earlier, chose to do nothing — it never said whether it would extend voting hours or not.
What matters most, though: only 35,000 votes were cast after 5 p.m.
There is no arithmetic that turns 35,000 votes into 4.4 million.
Brazil decided, and the world recognized it
Within hours of the results being announced, other countries, international authorities and major organizations recognized the Brazilian election. The European Union, Germany, France, Spain, Ukraine, Mexico, China, Denmark…
See the full list here (in Portuguese).
Many right-led governments recognized it too: Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay among them.
The United States hasn't so far. Trump has his own interests in Brazil: killing Pix, the country's free instant-payment system, and getting his hands on our rare earths.
Know someone who needs to read this?
Share on WhatsAppExplain why accepting the result matters
The argument that works best with this crowd: respect for election results is the bedrock of the world's leading economies. It's also the bedrock of every achievement, including personal ones.
In solid democracies, however unhappy one side may be with the winner, the country comes first. We'll get to how political uncertainty breeds economic instability in a moment. Before that, you can count on this video, which shows in a simple, playful way that without order there is no progress.
No order, no progress
DownloadAnd if the person you're talking to admires countries like the United States, this video will land well.
What great leaders do
DownloadGet on the same page
Try to show respect for their choice (I know, it's hard). But talk about the few things you have in common: wanting a better country, with economic stability, with democracy and institutions that guarantee freedom of choice and of speech, and — not least! — peace at the damn family lunch!
Start the conversation like this:
“Hey XXXX, this mess over politics is too much, right? I know we don't always see eye to eye, but I wanted to talk to you about something I think we both agree on. Brazil is a big country; it has to behave like the world's biggest ones, without putting the economy and the future at risk.”
Show how their life could get worse
Keep hammering the point that any democratic rupture throws Brazil into uncertainty. And uncertainty breeds instability. Talk about how the chaos of an attempt to overturn the election will be bad for them personally. It will bring social chaos, and they like order. It will bring financial instability, and they want to provide for their family.
Throwing data, indexes and polls at someone who disagrees with you often backfires: it only pushes them further from your point of view.
Simple thought exercises work better. Picture fanatics once again occupying and blocking highways, disrupting the flow of people, trucks and supermarket supplies:
Roads blocked, goods stuck on the way.
Supermarket shelves running empty.
When the turmoil escalates, the whole country suffers.
Disagreeing is part of the game. Breaking the rules isn't.
Make it clear you're not questioning their right to disagree with the result, or even to distrust it. But stress that there are institutional paths, designed to keep democracy alive for the long run. And insist that the mechanisms available to seek justice are always better for everyone than direct action.
And make no mistake: a bit of sentimental appeal always lands well. Share this video, which shows that even kids understand that whoever plays the game accepts the result.