BRASLIA - The Guardian reported that a viral WhatsApp channel and student-led protests played a key role in the election victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the veteran Brazilian leftist. In its report, written by Tiago Rogero in Brasília and Tom Phillips in São Paulo, the newspaper describes the outcome as a "historic comeback" for the incumbent and credits the streets and social media with driving it. The report is headlined How the streets and social media drove Lula to a historic comeback in Brazil.

According to The Guardian, Lula reportedly told allies after the first round of the presidential election that he could not understand how he had finished second. The newspaper said the first round took place three weeks before its report was published. The remark was made, according to the report, about a government that Lula considered the best of his three terms. The summary does not say which allies he spoke to or how the remark became known.

The Guardian's summary says a mood of dismay followed the first round, but the summary breaks off at that point. The material used for this story therefore does not include the report's full description of that mood, its account of the viral WhatsApp channel, or its account of the student-led protests. The summary also does not say which protests were involved, where they took place, or how many people took part.

Only one outlet's report was used in preparing this story, and no other source was consulted to confirm its account. The figures for the first round and the final vote are not given in the material available here, so the margin of Lula's victory cannot be reported. Readers seeking those details, and the full account of how the campaign unfolded, should consult the complete Guardian report.

Sources: The Guardian: How the streets and social media drove Lula to a historic comeback in Brazil.