Brazil denies visas to Trump officials over election interference fears

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Brazil has reportedly rejected visa applications from two officials associated with the Trump administration, who had intended to travel to the South American nation with the stated aim of casting doubt on the integrity of its electoral system.

Two Brazilian officials with direct knowledge of the matter informed Reuters on Saturday.

These officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the delicate nature of the situation, indicated that the US initiative was perceived as an attempt to influence Brazil’s forthcoming October presidential election.

This election will see leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva contend with Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, a known ally of Trump.

The visa requests for the US delegation, which included Assistant Secretary Riley M. Barnes from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Samuel Samson, were formally denied by Brazil on Friday, according to the same Brazilian sources.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro as he is announced at the candidate for Brazil’s presidential elections in July (Reuters)

The US State Department has not yet provided an immediate response to requests for comment regarding the matter. The details of the US plan were initially brought to light by the Washington Post, with Reuters subsequently confirming the information.

In the most recent polls, the incumbent Brazilian President maintained his lead over opposition senator Bolsonaro.

Lula would defeat the senator, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in a potential runoff by 48 per cent to 43 per cent, the poll showed.

A June survey showed Lula ahead by 47 per cent to 43 per cent.

It showed in a first-round scenario Lula would lead with 40 per cent of the votes, followed by Bolsonaro at 32 per cent, Ronaldo Caiado at 4 per cent, and Romeu Zema and Renan Santos each at 3 per cent.

In Brazil, if no candidate gets more than 50 per cent of valid votes, the two frontrunners go to a second-round vote.

Meanwhile, Argentine President Javier Milei flew to Brazil on Friday to throw his weight behind Senator Bolsonaro’s presidential run at a party convention.

The rare endorsement of a foreign head of state at the nominating convention offers Bolsonaro’s campaign a fresh jolt of energy after months of scandal and infighting.

Other conservative parties have avoided backing Bolsonaro’s run while his father serves a prison sentence under house arrest for a failed coup plot. The imported star power may help the senator consolidate a fractured field.

“Having Milei at the convention helps energize and mobilize the party’s more ideological base,” said Silvio Cascione, Eurasia Group’s head of Brazil, noting the alignment with recent right-wing victories in Colombia, Peru, and Chile.

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