US, Australia suspend consular services ahead of Brazil vote pitting Lula against Bolsonaro

The United States and Australia have suspended consular services in Brazil, citing security concerns two days before a hotly contested presidential election."US citizens seeking emergency assistance during this time should not come to the Embassy, the Consulates, or other US diplomatic facilities," the US mission said in a statement on Friday.It said the decision was "due to security concerns", but did not give any details.The Australian embassy announced it would be closed for the same reason.Brazilians go to the polls on Sunday in a tight race led by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.Trump looms over votePressure from the United States, whose President Donald Trump is a close ally of the Bolsonaros, has loomed large over the election in Latin America's biggest economy.Trump has backed several right-wing candidates in recent elections in the region who have gone on to win.On Thursday, he said he is following Brazil's election "very closely".Lula made Brazilian sovereignty a central plank of his campaign, warning Trump not to "meddle" in his country's elections.Brazil's Attorney General Jorge Messias on Thursday called for an investigation of allegations that the White House was using government funds to promote a "far-right agenda" in Brazil.The request came afterThe Guardiannewspaper published an article alleging that Washington planned to award $1 million to fund civil society groups opposing the Brazilian Supreme Court, an institution frequently criticised by the political right.The embassies' security concerns come after a tense evening in the capital Brasilia, where a false bomb threat outside the Supreme Court led police to shut down several streets.The court is located near the US embassy.