Brazil buses halt, Lula’s army takes key

When buses in the northeastern Brazilian city of Salvador inexplicably stopped running last Sunday, history teacher Martins Mafra grabbed his car keys and set off to pick up stranded voters across town.

Mafra’s efforts in Salvador, the capital of Bahia state, were part of a massive get-out-the-vote drive across Brazil that helped power leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to an unprecedented fourth term.

Lula supporters, shocked by right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro’s first-round lead, quickly mobilized as the prospect sank in that the Bolsonaro clan could return to power.

They used innovative social media initiatives, free taxi rides and grassroots campaigning to secure the incumbent president over 10 million more votes in the runoff.

“I’m a father, and I work in education, so this was an opportunity to teach and show that we can make a difference,” said Mafra, who offered rides to supporters of all stripes.

“It’s one thing to stay home complaining about city hall or posting videos online; it’s another thing to get up, walk out the door, and actually do something.

“Bolsonaro, son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro, fled this week to the US, where he declared himself the legitimate “leader” of Brazil, questioning the credibility of Lula’s 10 million-vote leap.

Bolsonaro also questioned a two-hour voting extension, requested by Lula’s campaign and granted by a Lula-appointed Supreme Court justice, due to the out-of-service buses in Bahia.

Bolsonaro’s campaign also sought an extension due to rains in conservative-leaning southern states, and the extension had little bearing on the result, the federal electoral court said.