Abascal and Ayuso's friends

Several messages on X spread the idea that Lula da Silva's victory in Brazil demonstrates an alleged Jewish influence in politics. These are claims without any evidence or figure to back them up.

**Lula da Silva**'s victory in Brazil's October 2022 elections triggered a wave of messages on X that tried to explain the result along ethnic lines. One of them claimed that "in Brazil the Jews win, neither Lula nor Bolsonaro". The phrase circulates with no source, no data and no name to support it.

## An electoral victory reduced to an identity

Lula defeated **Jair Bolsonaro** by just over two million votes in the runoff. The result was decided by a narrow margin, in a country split in two. Reducing that outcome to an alleged victory by a religious group explains nothing: not the votes, not the alliances, not the platform.

Those pushing this thesis offer not a single figure on funding, membership or voting. The Jewish community in Brazil is a small minority, with no capacity to swing a national election. The claim works as a slogan, not as analysis.

## Insult as an argument

Another of the messages reproduced a slur against Jews and presented it as the only path to the presidency. It is a hostile phrase with no data behind it, spread for its capacity to provoke rather than for any informational value.

This kind of language is nothing new in the online conversation, but it is worth pointing out: when a message replaces argument with an insult against a group, it is not describing political reality. It is seeking a reaction.

## Why it matters in economic terms

The economy does not live apart from these narratives. When an election is explained by the identity of a group rather than by variables such as inflation, employment or public spending, the quality of the debate deteriorates. And the debate matters: it decides which policies get voted for and who is held accountable for the results.

The viral messages about "who really wins" in Brazil offer not a single verifiable fact. Before sharing such an explanation, demand the bare minimum: a source, a figure and a date.