Brazil denies visas to US officials amid election tensions

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - SAO PAULO — Brazil has denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials who planned to visit the country ahead of October's presidential election.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry confirmed Saturday that visa requests submitted by Assistant Secretary Riley M. Barnes and Deputy Assistant Secretary Samuel Samson were rejected on Friday after the officials sought permission to travel to Brazil from July 27 to 30.

The ministry did not publicly explain the decision.

The move follows a report by The Washington Post that Brazilian officials believed the planned visit was intended to cast doubt on the integrity of the country's upcoming presidential election.

In response, the U.S. State Department rejected the allegation, saying the visit was routine and intended to include meetings with government officials, religious leaders and other stakeholders to discuss election integrity, religious freedom and freedom of expression.

"Any insinuation of a 'ploy' to undermine a democratic nation's election is a baseless lie," the department said in a statement.

The diplomatic dispute comes as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prepares to seek re-election against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose family maintains close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

Flávio Bolsonaro and his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro visited Washington in May, where they met with Trump and other U.S. officials.

Shortly afterward, the Trump administration designated Brazil's two largest criminal organizations — First Command Capital and Red Command — as foreign terrorist organizations, a move opposed by Lula's government.

Relations have deteriorated further after the United States imposed tariff increases of up to 37.5% on thousands of Brazilian exports, which took effect Friday.

Washington has accused Brazil of maintaining unfair trade practices and failing to adequately address forced labor, allegations Brasília rejects. Lula's administration has argued the tariffs are politically motivated and intended to influence the presidential election.

The election debate has also revived longstanding disputes over Brazil's electronic voting system.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro repeatedly questioned the reliability of the country's electronic voting machines without providing evidence. He is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest following his conviction over an attempted coup.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, has echoed some concerns about the voting system in recent months, although he did not repeat those claims on Saturday when his Liberal Party formally confirmed him as its presidential candidate.