Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced a massive government reshuffle and a number of new appointments.
“We have changed the leadership of six ministries, the corresponding appointments will be published in the Official Gazette,” he wrote in Telegram on Tuesday, March 30.
Thus, Walter Souza Braga Nettu, who previously headed the General Staff, became Minister of Defense. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is headed by Ambassador and diplomat Carlos Alberto Franco Fransa, who served as special adviser to the President.
Anderson Gustavu Torres takes over as head of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, replacing André Luis de Almeida Mendonça, who is returning to the post of Attorney General of Brazil.
The current head of the Interior Ministry, Luis Eduardo Ramos, will head the civil chamber under the president, and federal deputy Flavia Arruda will take his place.
In January, a poll showed that more than half of Brazilians were in favor of removing Jair Bolsonaro from power. Thus, 53.6% of respondents supported the initiation of the impeachment procedure of the Brazilian leader, while 41.5% were against.
At the onset of the pandemic in Brazil, a rift arose between federal and regional power. Bolsonaro called the coronavirus infection a minor flu and argued that the economic impact of isolation could be worse than that of a pandemic. At the same time, regional authorities advocated tougher restrictions.