MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New Brazilian ministers sworn in

“Are you sure about this decision?,” Bolsonaro asked the departing officials who will run for various offices later this year

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has reshuffled his ministerial cabinet and those appointed took their oaths of office Thursday at Brasilia's Planalto Palace. Those who left their offices will be able to run in the upcoming elections for various posts.

 The decrees with the dismissals at the request of the ministers were published earlier in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU).

During the ceremony, Bolsonaro thanked the departing officials. “I even asked: are you sure about this decision to assume? Because it is not easy, you will be looked at with a magnifying glass,” said Bolsonaro, who added he had already met with the new ministers two days ago.

In the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovations, Minister Marcos César Pontes passed the baton on to Paulo César Rezende Alvim. Pontes highlighted the national production of vaccines against diseases such as COVID-19, yellow fever, dengue, and chicungunya as one of the achievements under him.

“From this year on, Brazil will be independent from the concept to the production of national vaccines, not only for COVID but also for the next pandemics and neglected diseases such as yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya,” he said.

Rogério Marinho left the Ministry of Regional Development, which will be headed by Daniel de Oliveira Duarte Ferreira.

The Ministry of Tourism will be headed by Carlos Alberto Gomes de Brito, who will replace Gilson Machado.

The Ministry of Citizenship will be in charge of Ronaldo Vieira Bento, who takes over from João Roma.

Damares Alves leaves the Ministry of Women, Family, and Human Rights, which will be headed by Cristiane Rodrigues Britto.

At the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Onyx Lorenzoni has been replaced by José Carlos Oliveira.

In the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply, Minister Tereza Cristina will be replaced by Marcos Montes Cordeiro. In her speech, the departing minister recalled that the pandemic of the new coronavirus generated a challenge for Brazilian agribusiness, which had to adapt to maintain production. “Agribusiness was put to the test. It adapted, created protocols to allow the maintenance of services, production, the commercialization of products, and was aware of the importance of supply. This government has protected this activity”, she said.

In the Ministry of Infrastructure, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas leaves and Marcelo Sampaio takes his place. Gomes de Freitas said that the transportation matrix in the country will be more balanced in the future, with lower freight costs. “We will have, in the future, a much more balanced transportation matrix, with a much larger participation of inland navigation, coastal navigation, rail transportation, which will double its participation, we will have a much larger supply of transportation.”

The Minister of the Government Secretariat, Flávia Arruda, also bid farewell to the post, as she will be replaced by Célio Faria Júnior. Arruda returns to her seat as a federal deputy. During her farewell speech, she thanked Speakers of Both Houses of Congress -Deputies: Arthur Lira (PP-AL), and Senate: Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG)- “without whom it would have been impossible to approve important and controversial issues that were fundamental to help Brazil through these turbulent times.” (Source: Agencia Brasil)