Brazil's 'Lula's Army' Drove Voters to Polls After Buses Stopped on Election Day

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won an unprecedented fourth term after supporters launched a massive get-out-the-vote drive, including volunteer car rides when buses stopped running in Salvador on election day. The mobilization helped secure him over 10 million more votes than his rival in the runoff. History teacher Martins Mafra and others in Salvador, a Lula stronghold, transported stranded voters after roughly 30% of the bus fleet was found idling in depots. The city's transportation chief denied wrongdoing, while Lula's campaign also overhauled its strategy, with a WhatsApp channel called "Lula's Army" growing from 50,000 to over 10 million followers. Defeated candidate Flavio Bolsonaro fled to the US, questioning the vote extension granted due to the bus outage, which the electoral court said had little bearing on the result. Some residents, like street vendor Grecia de Jesus Nunes, were unable to vote but celebrated Lula's victory.