Brazil Denies Visas to Two US Officials Over Alleged Election Interference.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has confirmed that his government refused entry visas to two United States State Department officials, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the country's upcoming presidential election scheduled for October.

Speaking on Wednesday, Lula said the officials were denied visas because they intended to "meddle in Brazil's elections." The two officials had planned to visit Brazil in late July for meetings focused on freedom of expression, religious freedom, and election integrity. They were also expected to meet opposition presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.

The US State Department has rejected Brazil's allegations, describing claims that its officials intended to undermine the election as "baseless."

The October election will see President Lula seeking re-election against Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of plotting a coup following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.

Brazilian authorities have repeatedly defended the country's electronic voting system, which has been in use since 1996. The Superior Electoral Court says there is no evidence of systemic electoral fraud, noting that the system includes biometric voter verification, printed vote tallies, independent audits, and regular security testing by experts.

The visa dispute comes amid growing diplomatic tensions between Brazil and the United States over concerns about election integrity and foreign involvement in domestic political affairs.

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