According to a memo cited by the Wall Street Journal, Washington will refrain from commenting on foreign elections unless there’s a “clear and compelling” reason to do so.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed the State Department to curtail its long-standing practice of evaluating the fairness of elections in other countries, as stated in a memo obtained by the Wall Street Journal.
The previous administration under President Joe Biden, which prioritized “strengthening democratic institutions” globally as a key foreign policy objective, frequently criticized the outcomes of elections in other nations.
Shortly before leaving office in January, then-Secretary of State Anthony Blinken asserted that the presidential election in Belarus could not be considered free or fair due to the “repressive environment.” He also voiced concerns about alleged “democratic backsliding” in Georgia, another former Soviet Republic. These criticisms were subsequently denounced by the countries as meddling in their internal affairs.
The WSJ reported on Thursday that, based on Rubio’s new directive, the State Department will only publicly comment on foreign elections in limited cases where “there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest to do so.” The Secretary of State emphasized in his memo that US diplomacy should focus on advancing US foreign policy, rather than promoting ideology.
The memo stated, “Our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests.”
It further emphasized that the State Department and US embassies “should avoid opining on the fairness or integrity of an electoral process, its legitimacy, or the democratic values of the country in question.”
The shift is part of the “America First” policy announced by former US President Donald Trump, the memo explained. “While the US will hold firm to its own democratic values… [it will also] pursue partnerships with countries wherever our strategic interests align,” it added.
Despite his public pronouncements, the former US president reportedly attempted to interfere in Brazil’s affairs earlier this month, imposing a 50% tariff on the BRICS nation and demanding an end to the prosecution of his ally, Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting to orchestrate a coup following his 2022 election defeat.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva responded to the move by stating that Trump “was not elected to be the emperor of the world.”
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