Brazilian lawmaker André Janones met with former Argentine President Cristina Kirchner on Monday, Nov. 2, and shared a photo of the meeting on Instagram. (Foto: Instagram)
Brazilian federal deputy André Janones met with former Argentine President Cristina Kirchner on Monday, Nov. 2, and shared a photo of the meeting on social media. In an Instagram post, he reaffirmed an alliance between Brazil and Argentina against the far right, without naming Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei campaigned for Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost his race.
The meeting focused on strategies to oppose the far right in Argentina, which published reporting described as led by Milei. Janones wrote that he was standing with Kirchner to tell the world that “we can defeat the far right,” adding, “Believe it.” Argentines are scheduled to vote for president on Oct. 24, 2027.
Janones’ WhatsApp channel, “Lula Army,” was created by the deputy and played a key role in mobilizing supporters of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the runoff. It has 10.5 million followers and remains active following Lula’s victory. The channel’s model has inspired similar left-wing initiatives in France, Spain and Argentina.
In France, a WhatsApp channel called “L’équipe de Mélenchon” was launched in support of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the political party and movement La France Insoumise. The channel is coordinated by Antoine Léaument, a younger lawmaker from the same party who is known for his strong social media presence. Created Oct. 26, the day after Brazil’s runoff, it had about 160,000 followers as of 2:45 p.m. Friday.
In Spain, the channel “La Fuerza de la Gente” was created in support of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party. It launched on Oct. 8, between the first and second rounds of Brazil’s election, ahead of Spain’s scheduled Nov. 29 vote. The country also adopted AI-generated memes of Sánchez that became popular in Brazil after its first round. Janones was invited by Sánchez’s team to travel to Spain and help coordinate the campaign.
Argentina’s “Ejército del Peronismo” is not centered on a single political figure, unlike the other channels. Created Oct. 25, it serves as a digital hub for the Peronist camp opposing Milei and has nearly 65,000 followers. Its description says members are organizing to defend their ideas, amplify their voices and win again in 2027.
