Rio de Janeiro, July 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Brazil has denied visa applications from two US State Department officials over concerns that their proposed visit could benefit groups questioning the country’s electoral system ahead of the October presidential election, according to local media reports.
The officials, Riley M. Barnes, Assistant Secretary in the US State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Samuel Samson, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the same bureau, had applied for visas on July 20.
Reports said the two officials planned to meet presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, along with representatives of Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court and several right-wing political figures.
A spokesperson for Brazil’s foreign ministry confirmed that the visa requests were submitted on July 20 and were rejected on Friday. The US State Department had not commented on the decision at the time of reporting.
Brazil is scheduled to hold the first round of its presidential election on October 4, with a runoff, if required, on October 25. Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seeking re-election against Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro.
The development comes amid strained ties between BrasÃlia and Washington. Earlier this year, Flavio Bolsonaro and his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro met US officials, including President Donald Trump, in Washington. Subsequently, the US designated Brazil’s two largest drug-trafficking organisations and imposed tariffs of up to 37.5 per cent on thousands of Brazilian exports.
The Lula administration rejected Washington’s justification for the tariffs, alleging the measures were intended to influence Brazil’s political environment ahead of the elections.
Former President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned Brazil’s electronic voting system without presenting evidence to support his claims.
FOLLOW NOW
