(Bloomberg) — President Jair Bolsonaro started a broad cabinet shuffle as congressional allies from centrist parties, seeking more space in the administration, put pressure on him to change policies that have failed to control the pandemic.
Bolsonaro asked Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva to step down on Monday to accommodate some of the changes and is meeting members of his team to make a final decision. General Walter Souza Braga Netto will likely become the new defense chief, and be replaced by General Luiz Eduardo Ramos as chief of staff, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo tendered his resignation after growing criticism from lawmakers, including allies from centrist parties, who accuse him of failing to foster diplomatic relations with key vaccine producers, according to three different government officials familiar with the discussions.
All of the people asked for anonymity as most decisions have not been announced yet. Bolsonaro’s office and the foreign ministry have so far made no comments about the moves. Azevedo e Silva announced he was stepping down in a statement to the press.
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Ernesto Araujo
Photographer: Andre Borges/Bloomberg
Vaccine Diplomacy
Araujo has angered lawmakers and business leaders over tension with China, Brazil’s largest provider both of inputs for Covid-19 vaccines and ready-to-use shots. China is also Brazil’s top trading partner.
Many legislators blamed him for delays in shipments of vaccine inputs from China, which they say helps explain why Brazil has fallen behind peers in the race for doses.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases has topped 12 million, and more than 300,000 people have died from the virus thus far, the world’s highest death toll after the U.S.
Last year Araujo publicly defended a lawmaker son of Bolsonaro who had blamed the “Chinese dictatorship” for the coronavirus global pandemic. In a blog post, Araujo wrote that the “the communavirus has arrived” and said there was a plan in motion to spread communist ideology through international bodies including the World Health Organization.
Legislators also expressed concern that Araujo’s embrace of ex-U.S. President Donald Trump and reluctant recognition of President Joe Biden’s victory may undermine Brazil’s chance of obtaining surplus vaccines from the U.S.
Critics also blame Araujo for downplaying rising deforestation in the Amazon, which has fueled anti-Brazil sentiment in Europe.
(Recasts story with details about additional cabinet changes.)
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