Candidate Running for Brazil's Congress Resorts to Dating App Tinder to Run Campaign

07/16/2018 - 12h39

Felipe Oriá (PPS-Pernambuco), 27, is running for Brazil's congress, and he's turning to Tinder, a dating app, in order to appeal to the electorate.

On the app, users can 'like' other people's profiles. If the feeling is mutual then a match is formed and the profiles connect.

Mr. Oriá's seduction powers have proven effective. According to the candidate - who is a member of the non-partisan political movement Acredito (or "Believe"), which calls for political renewal - he gets almost 400 matches a day. His profile was activated about a week ago.

	Foto: Reproducao/Facebook ORG
	Felipe Simoes da Mota Oria

However, when users realize that he is really interested in their votes, the reactions are quite diverse. "Dude, I hate politics. Sorry," one person said dismissively.

"Here I was, thinking that Felipe Oriá had found my eyes enchanting," one suitor said. "I find your support enchanting," the candidate replied.

On the app, he 'likes' the profiles of men and women without adopting a specific criteria "after all, my platform is quite progressive when it comes to [social] values". Dating apps aside, Mr. Oriá is married to a Swiss woman.

The political scientist from Pernambuco who obtained a master's degree at Harvard and is running for office has said that political 'flirting' is a way to appeal to voters without bombarding them on social networks with electoral ads.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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