Brazil has denied visa applications from two US Department of State officials due to concerns that their visit might support groups questioning Brazil’s electoral system. The officials, Riley M. Barnes and Samuel Samson, both from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, had planned to meet with presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, officials from Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, and right-wing figures. The visa requests were submitted on July 20 but were rejected by Brazil’s foreign office on Friday.
The US State Department has not yet commented on the visa denials. Brazil is gearing up for its presidential election, with the first round scheduled for October 4 and a potential runoff on October 25. Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be contesting against Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Sen. Bolsonaro, along with his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, had met with US officials, including President Donald Trump, in late May. Following the visit, the Trump administration labeled Brazil’s two largest drug-trafficking organizations and imposed tariff hikes on thousands of Brazilian exports. These actions were justified by Washington as addressing unfair trade practices and Brazil’s alleged failure to combat forced labor, which the Lula administration refuted as an attempt to influence Brazil’s political landscape in favor of Sen. Bolsonaro.
Former President Jair Bolsonaro has long raised doubts about Brazil’s electronic voting system, despite lacking evidence to support his claims.
