Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wins Brazilian presidential election
The election outcome was met with a surge in social media activity as Brazilians created humorous memes about the results and Flávio Bolsonaro's departure.
Brazil has been swept up in a wave of viral memes since Sunday's presidential election, which saw Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emerge victorious over Flávio Bolsonaro.
The election outcome was met with an unprecedented mobilization on social media, where the left-wing campaign effectively utilized digital networks to sway public opinion. This strategic deployment of online resources played a crucial role in Lula's win.
Flávio Bolsonaro, who is currently under investigation for money laundering and corruption, initially denied any intention to leave Brazil after his defeat. However, he abruptly departed the country shortly after making this statement.
The sudden turn of events triggered an explosion of creativity on social media platforms, where users employed artificial intelligence to produce humorous memes. These posts garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and shares across multiple platforms.
Brazilians tend to approach serious issues with a touch of lightness, irony, and humor, said Carolina Terra, a professor at the University of Sao Paulo's communications and arts school. She noted that even significant topics often take on a life of their own as memes that spread rapidly online.
The internet is overflowing with memes about Flávio Bolsonaro's sudden departure to the US. One viral image shows him dressed up as a Rastafarian, Mario, Ronaldo, and John Lennon among others, raising questions about his priorities.
Another popular meme depicts Bolsonaro as the captain of "Fly 22 Airlines, a reference to the number of votes he received in Brazil's electronic voting machines. This satirical take on his influence is just one example of how Brazilians are using humor to respond to his claims.
Bolsonaro, an ally of Donald Trump, recently posted a letter from Miami declaring himself the true president-elect of Brazil. However, he later softened this claim to simply calling himself a leader and stating that the election was fraudulent without providing any evidence. He even compared himself to Charles de Gaulle, who led the French resistance during World War II.
In his letter, Bolsonaro also used an incorrect coat of arms featuring United States of Brazil instead of the country's official name, which has been Federative Republic of Brazil since 1967. Furthermore, he misspelled Brasil" in Portuguese, using the English spelling with a "z instead.
Some Brazilians received a mock invitation to Bolsonaro's inauguration as president of the United States of Brazil, signed by cartoon character Goofy and featuring Disneyland in the background. This absurd scenario is just another example of how Bolsonaro's claims are being mocked online.
Internet users have been creatively mocking Flávio Bolsonaro's departure from Brazil by assigning him outlandish titles and roles.
Some have jokingly referred to him as the King of Soccer, while others have taken aim at the slogan God, homeland and family commonly associated with Brazilian politics. This phrase has been reworked into a humorous Goodbye, homeland and family.
Movie posters have also been doctored to poke fun at Bolsonaro's situation. A manipulated version of the poster for Catch me if you can replaces Leonardo DiCaprio with Flávio Bolsonaro and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes with Tom Hanks.
Another meme uses the poster for Home Alone", depicting Flávio and his brother Eduardo as the bumbling thieves in the background, while their father Jair Bolsonaro looks on in shock from the front.
The sudden departure of Flávio Bolsonaro to the US has sparked a wave of memes in Brazil, providing much-needed comic relief for supporters of Lula's presidential campaign.
According to Viktor Chagas, a professor at Fluminense Federal University and coordinator of the Colab research group, the election campaign was initially slow on memes due to a lack of opportunities ahead of the first round. However, debates involving the two main candidates generated more memes in the lead-up to the runoff vote, albeit amidst high political tension.
The departure of Bolsonaro has provided Lula's supporters with a welcome opportunity to laugh together, Chagas said, describing the memes as having a cathartic element.
Facts based on reporting originally published by ABC News International.
You may republish this story, in full or in part, if you credit News Central Site and link to it (licence CC BY 4.0). Photos are not included.
