Brazil: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has announced a major Cabinet reshuffle, replacing six of his ministers in a move to possibly secure greater loyalty as the country battles a severe COVID-19 crisis.
This comes after former Defence Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva handing in his resignation, saying that he had "preserved the Armed Forces as a State institution". He will be replaced by Army General Braga Netto, the former Government Minister, reported CNN.
In addition to replacing foreign minister Ernesto Araújo, the president shifted three other ministers into new positions - chief of staff, defense minister and attorney general. His announcement on Twitter said he also named a new justice and public security minister and government secretary. The statement did not provide any reasons for the changes.
The shake-up underscores recent turmoil for Bolsonaro, who has seen his approval ratings slide this year.
The president in mid-March replaced the health minister, whose tenure coincided with most of Brazil’s 314,000 COVID-19 deaths and became the target of fierce criticism. In February, Bolsonaro tapped a retired army general to take over state-run oil behemoth Petrobras, seeking to appeal to his constituency of truck drivers who had threatened to strike over fuel price increases.
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