Brasilia, September 6 (Prensa Latina) Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced today a reshuffle of his Cabinet of Ministers to strengthen support for his political agenda in the National Congress.
The Presidential Palace confirmed that MPs André Fufuca and Silvio Costa Filho, close to the parties of the so-called Centrão (center-right trend), will be new federal government ministers.
Fufuca will take over the Ministry of Sports in place of Ana Moser, who resigned from her position, while Costa Filho will take over the management of ports and airports, replacing Márcio Francia, who will take over the new portfolio of micro and small businesses.
The decision was announced a day after meetings at Alvorada Palace, the leaders’ official residence in Brasilia.
After months of negotiations, Lula is making the changes to expand his support base in parliament and secure more votes, particularly in the Chamber of Deputies.
In July, Lula invited center-right lawmaker Celso Sabino to take over the tourism ministry, replacing Daniela Carneiro, who resumed her parliamentary mandate.
Such an appointment had been expected since the previous month, when the Union Brazil party increased political pressure for the exchange.
Faced with pressure, Carneiro called for distancing himself from this political organization and switching to the Republicans, also center-right.
According to a statement released by Planalto Palace, the seat of the executive branch, the nomination and inauguration of the new ministers will take place after Lula returns from the trip to the G20 summit in India scheduled for September 9 and 10.
This group consists of the finance ministers and central bank governors of the world’s 19 largest economies as well as the European Union.
jha/ocs