Brazil accuses US of interfering in presidential election
Ahead of Brazil's presidential election, incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faces right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, an ally of Donald Trump and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula da Silva accuses the Bolsonaro camp of encouraging foreign interference.
Brazil is heading toward a presidential election in which current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of US President Donald Trump.
Washington has signaled support for closer ties with Brazil's right-wing political forces, while Lula da Silva has publicly accused the Bolsonaro camp of encouraging foreign interference in the election process.
Questions over sovereignty and trade
The situation has raised a number of broader concerns — about US influence over Brazilian politics, trade tariffs, organised crime, and the country's sovereignty more generally.
BBC correspondent Ione Wells notes that the tension between Brazil and the US reflects a wider geopolitical dynamic, in which Washington is actively engaging with the domestic political processes of countries in the region, backing forces ideologically closer to its own.
The election campaign is therefore becoming not only a domestic clash between left- and right-wing camps, but also a test of Brazil's ability to maintain independent decision-making in the face of external pressure from a major power.
