Brazil denies visa requests from US officials ahead of upcoming October elections

Rio De Janeiro: Brazil has rejected visa applications from two US Department of State officials over concerns that their visit could support groups questioning Brazil’s electoral system, local media reported.

The officials were Riley M. Barnes, assistant secretary from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Samuel Samson, deputy assistant secretary from the same bureau.

The two submitted their visa applications to the Brazilian government on July 20, planning to meet with presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as officials from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court and right-wing figures, according to reports.

A spokesperson for Brazil’s foreign office said Barnes and Samson requested visas on July 20 and they were denied Friday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brazil will hold the first round of its presidential election on October 4, with a potential runoff scheduled for October 25, according to a schedule released by the Superior Electoral Court.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will bid for reelection against Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro.

Sen. Bolsonaro and his brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, visited US officials in Washington, including President Donald Trump, in late May. Shortly afterwards, the Trump administration designated Brazil’s two largest drug-trafficking organisations.

The Trump administration also imposed tariff increases of up to 37.5 per cent on thousands of Brazilian exports. Washington said the measures were aimed at addressing what it described as unfair trade practices and Brazil’s failure to curb forced labour. The Lula administration rejected both allegations, calling the tariffs an attempt to influence Brazil’s political landscape in favour of Sen. Bolsonaro.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has for years fed concerns about the country’s electronic voting system, without providing any evidence for his claims.

IANS