Brazilian congressman André Janones says he does not want to become a minister, despite the role his online activism played in mobilizing support for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Janones said he wants to avoid the constraints and administrative commitments that come with holding a cabinet post.
The “Lula Army” grew from 50,000 members to one million in two days, according to the column, and reached 10 million on the day of the presidential runoff. Janones launched the channel in April. The network drew attention from The New York Times, The Guardian and Le Monde, and its model of activism is being adopted in other countries, the column says.
The column describes Janones’ campaign as part of a broader political shift, arguing that the left had shed its reluctance to use social media. It also links the network’s growth to renewed student activism, with young people taking to the streets in a movement compared with earlier generations of protesters.
Janones is expected to remain in the Chamber of Deputies and continue leading the network. The column argues that government roles can limit activists’ influence by drawing them into bureaucracy, and contrasts Janones’ decision with the career path traditionally associated with becoming a minister.
The column also notes that Janones acknowledged wrongdoing in a case involving two staff members, reached an agreement and repaid R$131,500. It presents his online organizing as an innovation that helped shape Lula’s campaign, despite what it describes as a modest parliamentary record.
Sources: Folha Poder.