'Lulazo' Offers Lesson on How to Defeat Milei in 2027, Argentine Opposition Says - Folha de S.Paulo

Lula's victory over Flávio Bolsonaro, dubbed the "Lulazo" by the Argentine press, was seen by the country's opposition as a personal failure for President Javier Milei and a lesson on how to defeat him in next October's election. Less than two hours after the result was confirmed, a WhatsApp channel called "Peronist Army" was created, inspired by an initiative by Congressman André Janones. In one week, the Workers' Party (PT) branch in Argentina received at least ten requests for discussions and interviews about the campaign.

Milei strongly backed Flávio: he attended his campaign launch in July and called Lula "socialist trash," an episode that led to a downgrading of relations between the two countries. After the election, he was the only leader in the region not to recognize the victory and, according to the report, his government was involved in Flávio's escape to the United States, prompting legislative and legal initiatives by lawmakers.

"Just as the victory was extraordinary, the defeat was catastrophic," says Argentine lawmaker Gustavo Fernando López.

Milei has a 57% disapproval rating, according to an analysis by Clarín, and monthly inflation fell from 25.5% in December 2023 to 1.9% in September. Even so, he benefits from divisions within the opposition. Renata Codas, the PT's coordinator in Argentina, views the situation cautiously and says Janones's approach may not translate into "a WhatsApp group."