The United States, which has been intently watching elections worldwide for several decades, will restrict its assessments of elections in foreign countries, only commenting publicly when there is a “clear and compelling” foreign policy interest.
American media reports said a new directive on the revised policy has been sent to U.S. embassies and consulates around the world.
The directive indicates that when weighing in on an election, U.S. officials’ messages should be short, congratulatory toward the winner and, when “appropriate,” mention shared foreign policy interests.
“Consistent with the administration’s emphasis on national sovereignty, the (State) Department will comment publicly on elections only when there is a clear and compelling U.S. foreign policy interest to do so,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hill, a Washington-based newspaper.
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“President Trump clearly articulated his vision of an ‘America First’ foreign policy in his Riyadh speech on May 13. The President praised the progress that comes from sovereign countries, pursuing [their] own unique visions, and charting [their] own unique destinies in [their] own way,” the spokesperson added, referring to the president’s speech during his first stop on his Middle East swing.
Over the past few decades, the State Department had been vocal in its criticism of elections worldwide, at times admonishing elections held in authoritarian regimes that the U.S. has deemed unfair or rigged.
“When it is appropriate to comment on a foreign election, our message should be brief, focused on congratulating the winning candidate, and, when appropriate, noting shared foreign policy interests,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the internal cable, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. has also celebrated foreign elections deemed free and fair, as it did in late May when its Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs congratulated Suriname in late May for holding “free and fair elections.”
“The United States supported the electoral process by sending trained monitors. We look forward to strengthening our partnership and advancing shared democratic values,” the bureau said in a post on social platform X.
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America’s top diplomat Rubio congratulated Jennifer Geerlings-Simons on her election as president of Suriname.
The last time the State Department was sharply critical of a foreign election was three days before Trump was sworn into the Oval Office, when the U.S. Embassy in Belarus denounced the country’s President Alexander Lukashenko ahead of elections Jan. 26.
“The Lukashenka regime’s systematic efforts to silence any dissent have determined the outcome of the election long before any ballots are cast, depriving the Belarusian people of the opportunity to choose their own leaders and determine their own future,” the embassy said.
Lukashenko won more than 86 percent of the vote, according to the country’s election commission.
During his time in Senate Rubio was at times outspoken about foreign elections.
After Nicolas Maduro won a widely criticized election in Venezuela in July 2024, Rubio blasted the Biden administration’s policy toward the country.
“Biden & Harris broadly eased Trump sanctions on Maduro regime as part of a ‘deal’ for elections in #Venezuela,” he wrote at the time, referencing former President Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Today was that election and it was a complete fraud,” he said at that time. “The latest example of how our enemies have suckered Biden and Harris repeatedly over the last four years.”
The U.S. has also come out with a measured response to elections in some countries. For example, Washington noted a restricted electoral environment with curbs on freedom of expression and assembly during the Pakistani election in 2024 but did not outrightly reject the results of the polls. The polls were widely criticized domestically and internationally for lack of transparency and allegations of blatant rigging.
Views News Now staff contributed to this report.
The US is shifting its approach to assessing foreign elections, choosing to only comment publicly when there’s a “clear and compelling” foreign policy interest. This move raises questions about transparency and the US’s role in promoting democratic integrity worldwide.