Elizabeth Bagley, nominated by President Joe Biden to be the US ambassador to Brazil, said this Wednesday (18) that she believes the Brazilian elections will be fair because of the country’s democratic institutions.

“They have democratic institutions, they have a democratic electoral system, an independent judiciary, and an independent legislature. They have freedom of speech and assemblies. They have all the democratic institutions they need to promote free and fair elections,” he told US senators.

This Wednesday, the US Senate International Relations committee questioned the diplomat alongside other nominees to head other international delegations. During the hearing, Bagley was asked about the elections in Brazil and the environment.

Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the committee, asked the ambassador nominee in Brasilia about President Jair Bolsonaro’s attacks on the Brazilian electoral system and what she could do to make sure Brazil’s elections went well.

“Bolsonaro said several things, but Brazil is a democracy,” said the diplomat.

“I have worked at the National Democratic Institute for over 30 years. I have monitored many elections and I know it will not be an easy time because of many of his comments, but despite these comments, this historical reality of the institutions. we will continue to do is show our confidence and our expectation that they are going to have a free and fair election,” Bagley said.

Environment

The diplomat said that her biggest responsibility in Brazil if confirmed in office, will be to work together with the Brazilian government so that the country meets the goals of combating deforestation in the Amazon.

Bagley said the Bolsonaro government is not working to meet the deforestation commitments announced by Brazil last year at the UN climate conference in Glasgow.

She added that one of her priorities in the role will be to encourage efforts to protect forest defenders and prosecute environmental crimes and related acts of violence.

Nominated for the American Embassy in Brasilia, Elizabeth Bagley, in a Senate hearing on May 18, 2022 — Photo: Reproduction/US Senate

Elizabeth Bagley previously served as the US Ambassador to Portugal and currently owns and directs a cell phone company in the US state of Arizona.

“Her diplomatic experience includes serving as senior advisor to Secretaries of State John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and Madeleine Albright. She has also served as Special Representative to the United Nations General Assembly, Special Representative for Global Partnerships, and US Ambassador to Portugal.”, the White House said in a statement.

“Early in her career, Ms. Bagley worked with the Department of State and Congress on the Panama Canal Treaties, was a special assistant on the Camp David Accords, and assisted in liaison with Congress for the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Accords) in Madrid, Spain. Ms. Bagley holds a BA from Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts, and a Doctor of Laws from the Georgetown University Law Center,” the curriculum continues.

The White House also announced three new nominees to head embassies:

Jane Hartley was nominated for Ambassador to the United Kingdom;
Alexander Laskaris was nominated as the ambassador to the Republic of Chad;
Alan Leventhal was nominated as the ambassador to Denmark.

According to a report in the US newspaper “The Wall Street Journal”, Bagley, Harley, and Leventhal are also major funders of President Biden’s White House campaign.