Bloomberg Línea — Brazil’s President-elect Lula (from PT, Workers’ Party), announced on Thursday, three days before taking office, the 16 ministers still to be known to compose the team of the new government and the leadership in Congress. The complete team will have 37 ministries, 26 of which will be headed by men and 11 by women.
In addition to them, Senator Randolfe Rodrigues was announced as the leader of Congress; Senator Jaques Wagner, from Lula’s party, as the leader of the Senate; and Federal Deputy José Guimarães, also from the Workers’ Party, as the leader in the House.
These were the names announced:
Planning: Simone Tebet, senator and defeated candidate for Brazil’s presidency in 2022. She supported Lula in the second round and receives a ministry with extra functions. The portfolio had been extinguished by the Jair Bolsonaro government, which transformed it into a secretariat under the Ministry of Economy.
Environment: Marina Silva, who was in charge of the portfolio in Lula’s first administration, left the post in a dispute for space with the Ministry of Agriculture 15 years ago. As head of the Environment, she will also be responsible for policies related to the climate crisis.
Institutional Security Cabinet (GSI): Gonçalves Dias, a retired general, headed the security of the Presidency of the Republic during Lula’s first two terms, between 2003 and 2010. The announcement confirms the continuity of the militarization of the GSI, which resumed during Michel Temer’s administration and intensified under Bolsonaro.
Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom): Paulo Pimenta, from the Workers’ Party, federal deputy elected for the fifth term and former government leader in the House.
Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock: Carlos Favaro (PSD-MS), senator and rural producer, former vice-president of the Association of Soybean and Corn Producers (Aprosoja), an entity that supported Bolsonaro and even financed demonstrations in support of the government.
Ministry of Integration and Regional Development: Waldez Góes (PDT-AP), governor of Amapá at the end of his mandate. He will be in charge of Codevasf, the state-owned company responsible for the São Francisco River transposition works that were boosted in Bolsonaro’s government after the government decided to make room in the ministry for members of the center-right party. The current president of the agency is linked to the president of the House, Arthur Lira (PP-AL).
Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture: André de Paula, a federal deputy at the end of his mandate. He was a candidate for senator but was not elected. He takes office and negotiated with the leadership of the PSD party.
Ministry of Social Security: Carlos Lupi, president of PDT’s party, was Minister of Labor in Lula’s and Dilma Rousseff’s administrations.
Ministry of Cities: Jader Filho, president of the MDB in the state of Pará, brother of the governor of the state, Helder Barbalho, and son of former deputy Jader Barbalho, senator who also participated in the Lula administration. Jader Filho enters the government in one of the positions negotiated by Lula with the MDB party.
Ministry of Communications: Juscelino Filho, federal deputy elected for the third mandate. He assumes a position negotiated by Lula with the president of União Brasil, deputy Luciano Bivar, whose mandate is about to end. Bivar was president of the PSL, the party that merged with the DEM to found União and that served as a conglomerate for Bolsonaro to run in 2018.
Ministry of Mines and Energy: Alexandre Silveira, a senator, was director-general of Dnit, from the Department of Roads and Highways, whose appointment to the portfolio was negotiated with the PSD’s party leadership.
Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture: Paulo Teixeira, from the Workers’ Party, federal deputy elected for a fourth term, is part of a wing of the PT that supports the group to which Lula belongs.
Ministry of Sports: Ana Moser, former volleyball player, and founder of the Sports and Education Institute, worked for the National Athletes’ Commission of the National Sports Council. She participated in the government plan and the transition group in the sports area.
Ministry of Tourism: Daniela de Souza Carneiro, elected deputy for the second mandate and known as Daniela do Waguinho, was the most voted in Rio de Janeiro. She is also part of a portfolio negotiated with Luciano Bivar.
Ministry of Indigenous Peoples: Sonia Guajajara is an indigenous member of the Arariboia Indigenous Land. She was the coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), one of the main entities representing indigenous peoples in the country. She takes office despite her party PSOL’s decision not to join Lula’s government.
Ministry of Transportation: Renan Filho, senator and son of Senator Renan Calheiros, who was president of the Senate. He is also part of the government in a position negotiated by Lula with the leaders of the party. He was also governor of Alagoas for two terms.
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