US to stop criticizing foreign elections – WSJ

Washington will not weigh in on votes in other countries without a “clear and compelling” reason, according to a memo cited by the outlet

US top diplomat Marco Rubio has instructed the US State Department to limit its long-standing practice of assessing the fairness of elections in foreign countries, according to a memo seen by the Wall Street Journal.

The previous administration, of US President Joe Biden, which had declared what it called “strengthening democratic institutions” globally among its core foreign policy goals, regularly condemned the results of votes in other nations.

Shortly before leaving office in January, then-US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken claimed that the presidential election in Belarus could not be free or fair because of the “repressive environment” there. He also expressed concern over alleged “democratic backsliding” in another former Soviet Republic, Georgia. The criticism was subsequently decried by the countries as interference in their internal affairs.

The WSJ said in an article on Thursday that, according to Rubio’s new directive, the State Department will publicly comment on foreign elections only in rare cases when “there is a clear and compelling US foreign policy interest to do so.” The goal of Washington’s diplomacy should be advancing US foreign policy, not promoting ideology, the Secretary of State insisted in his memo.

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"Our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests,” the document read.

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,” it stressed.

The shift happens as part of the “America First” policy announced by US President Donald Trump, the memo read. “While the US will hold firm to its own democratic values... [it will also] pursue partnerships with countries wherever our strategic interests align,” it explained.

Despite his public statements, the US president attempted to interfere in Brazil's affairs earlier this month, slapping the BRICS country with a 50% tariff 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.

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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva responded to the move by saying that Trump “was not elected to be the emperor of the world.”