Lula campaign asks Brazil court to add US consular halt to election probe
In short
Brazilian President Lula's campaign team has asked Brazil's Superior Electoral Court to include the suspension of in-person consular services at US missions in Brazil on Oct 2 in an ongoing investigation into foreign interference in the country's election. The campaign's request says the move is another example of US government interference and calls it an “abnormal diplomatic action” during a key election period. The US embassy said the missions suspended in-person services on Oct 2 because of “security issues”; Brazil's first-round presidential vote is set for Oct 4.
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Brazilian President Lula's campaign team has asked Brazil's Superior Electoral Court to include the suspension of in-person consular services at US missions in Brazil on Oct 2 in an ongoing investigation into external interference in Brazil's election, according to Brazilian reports cited by CLS, Jiemian and China News Service. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The campaign's request states that the suspension is another example of the US government interfering in Brazil's election, and describes an “abnormal diplomatic action” of that scale during a key election period as bringing instability to the Brazilian electoral environment. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The US embassy in Brazil said in a notice on the evening of Oct 1 that the embassy and consulates would suspend in-person consular services on Oct 2 because of “security issues”, and advised US citizens needing urgent assistance not to go to the US embassy, consulates or other US diplomatic missions in Brazil during that period, according to Jiemian and China News Service. The documents do not give any further explanation of the stated security issues. [ 2 , 4 ]
China News Service also reported that Brazil's federal solicitor-general's office had asked federal police and the federal prosecutor's office on Oct 1 to investigate allegations that the US government provided funds to interfere in Brazil's election and to undermine the legitimacy of the Federal Supreme Court. The head of that office, Jorge Messias, cited a Sept 30 report in the British newspaper The Guardian saying the US was suspected of providing $1 million to fund Brazilian civil society groups campaigning against what was described as the court's “judicial overreach” and “censorship”, the report said. Messias said Brazilian law prohibits foreign entities or governments from funding or controlling domestic political groups. [ 4 ]
Brazil is due to hold the first round of its presidential election on Oct 4, according to Jiemian and China News Service. None of the documents records a response from the US government or a decision by the electoral court on the campaign's request. [ 2 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The request puts a US diplomatic decision before Brazil's electoral court two days before the first round of voting, adding a foreign-interference dispute to an already contested election. Chinese official and business media carried it prominently, reflecting wider attention to US involvement in Brazil's vote and to Brazilian authorities' separate scrutiny of alleged foreign funding of domestic groups.
Key facts
- Lula's campaign team asked Brazil's Superior Electoral Court to add the Oct 2 suspension of in-person consular services at US missions in Brazil to an ongoing investigation into foreign interference in Brazil's election [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The campaign's request states the suspension is another example of the US government interfering in Brazil's election and calls it an “abnormal diplomatic action” of that scale during a key election period [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The US embassy in Brazil announced on the evening of Oct 1 that the embassy and consulates would suspend in-person consular services on Oct 2 because of “security issues” [ 2 , 4 ]
- The embassy notice told US citizens needing urgent assistance not to go to the US embassy, consulates or other US diplomatic missions in Brazil during that period [ 2 , 4 ]
- Brazil is due to hold the first round of its presidential election on Oct 4 [ 2 , 4 ]
- Brazil's federal solicitor-general's office asked federal police and the federal prosecutor's office on Oct 1 to investigate allegations that the US government funded efforts against the Federal Supreme Court; its head, Jorge Messias, cited a Sept 30 Guardian report about $1 million allegedly provided to Brazilian civil society groups, and said Brazilian law bars foreign entities or governments from funding or controlling domestic political groups [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Lula's campaign team requested that Brazil's Superior Electoral Court include the Oct 2 suspension of in-person consular services at US missions in Brazil in the ongoing investigation into external interference in Brazil's election [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The US embassy in Brazil said in a notice on the evening of Oct 1 that the embassy and consulates would suspend in-person consular services on Oct 2 because of “security issues”, and advised US citizens needing urgent help not to visit those missions [ 2 , 4 ]
- Brazil's first-round presidential election is scheduled for Oct 4 [ 2 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- What the “security issues” cited by the US embassy consisted of The documents carry only the embassy notice's wording “security issues”; no further detail or reason is given.
- Whether Brazil's Superior Electoral Court has accepted the Lula campaign's request, and the status of the interference investigation The documents describe the request but say nothing about the court's response or the investigation's progress.
- Any response from the US government to the Lula campaign's allegation No US response appears in the documents.
- The allegation that the US government provided $1 million to Brazilian civil society groups Only one document mentions it, citing a Sept 30 report by the British newspaper The Guardian; it is not corroborated by the other documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The US embassy in Brazil announces that the embassy and consulates will suspend in-person consular services on Oct 2 because of “security issues”, and tells US citizens needing urgent help not to go to those missions [ 2 , 4 ]
- US missions in Brazil suspend in-person consular services [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Brazilian reports say Lula's campaign team has asked the Superior Electoral Court to include the suspension in the investigation into external interference in Brazil's election [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- CLS reports the campaign's request [ 1 ]
- China News Service reports the same request and adds the federal solicitor-general's office request to investigate alleged US funding against the Federal Supreme Court [ 4 ]