Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday overhauled his government, changing six Cabinet members including the foreign, defense and justice ministers, as the far-right leader faces mounting pressure over a deadly surge of COVID-19.
Bolsonaro, who comes up for re-election in October next year, has drawn backlash with his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in hard-hit Brazil, where the average daily death toll has nearly quadrupled since the start of the year to more than 2,600, pushing hospitals to breaking point.
The shake-up comes the week after Bolsonaro replaced former Brazilian minister of health Eduardo Pazuello, an army general with no medical experience, with cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga, his fourth health minister of the pandemic.
While there had been speculation that Bolsonaro was about to fire Ernesto Araujo as Brazilian minister of foreign affairs — he faced criticism for the government’s problems securing more COVID-19 vaccines — many of the other changes came as a surprise.
The president named army General Luiz Eduardo Ramos as his new chief of staff; career diplomat Carlos Franca as his new foreign minister; General Walter Souza Braga Netto, the outgoing chief of staff, as defense minister; and police commander Anderson Torres as justice minister.
He also appointed a new attorney general, Andre Mendonca, the outgoing justice minister; and government secretary, lawmaker Flavia Arruda — the third woman in his 22-member Cabinet.
Former Brazillian minister of defense Fernando Azevedo e Silva and Araujo — had been in their posts since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019.
Azevedo e Silva’s exit was unexpected, and speculation swirled over the reason.
Bolsonaro has been on a purge, amid growing dissatisfaction — including from allies in the business sector — over his handling of a pandemic that has now claimed more than 312,000 lives in Brazil, the second-highest death toll worldwide, after the US.
“The government is extremely fragile, as demonstrated by the instability at the top,” said Mauricio Santoro, a political scientist and professor at Rio de Janeiro State University. “It’s safe to say there is a crisis in the administration, beyond one or two ministries.”
Bolsonaro, who has long defied expert advice on COVID-19, now appears to fear his attacks on lockdowns, masks and particularly vaccines could be a liability heading into next year’s campaign.
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