Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the first members of his cabinet on Friday, while outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro broke his silence a month after losing the election.
The incoming president – universally known as Lula – named five key ministers, with more to come. He is scheduled to assume office on January 1.
Haddad announced as Finance Minister
Former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad was announced as the incoming finance minister. Haddad served as Minister of Education in Lula’s previous government and was the Workers’ Party (PT) candidate in the 2018 presidential election, during which Lula was barred from running due to a corruption conviction that was later overturned.
The former mayor is a lawyer who holds a master’s degree in economics and a doctorate in philosophy. Antonio Madeira of the MCM consultancy firm told the AFP news agency that Haddad “represents the heretical economic policy” of PTI.
Lula also announced Jose Mucio as the incoming defense minister – a civilian who marked a shift away from a series of army generals appointed to the role by Bolsonaro.
After announcing the five white men as his first cabinet appointments, Lula promised that “over time, you will see more women here than men … as well as many Afro-Brazilians.”
“We will try and form a government in the image of Brazilian society,” he said.
Bolsonaro: ‘It hurts my soul’
Also on Friday, outgoing right-wing President Bolsonaro broke his silence for only the second time since losing the October 30 presidential election.
In a vague statement, Bolsonaro acknowledged he had been silent for nearly 40 days and said “it hurts my soul.”
At the gate of the President’s residence, the far-right leader told his supporters, “Who decides where I go, you are. Who decides which way the armed forces should go.”
He did not explicitly recognize Lula’s victory, nor did he support calls from some of his supporters for military intervention.
However, Bolsonaro called the armed forces “the last bulwark against socialism” and said their cause would one day prevail.
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