Covid: Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro shuffles cabinet as pressure grows
Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has replaced six cabinet ministers as his popularity plummets over his handling of the pandemic. Brazil’s health service is reported to be on the brink of collapse as the country battles a deadly second wave. It is the biggest reshuffle since Mr Bolsonaro came to power two years ago. He has consistently opposed quarantine measures, arguing that the damage to the economy would be worse than the effects of the virus itself. He also told Brazilians to “stop whining” about the coronavirus pandemic. More than 300,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Brazil, with more than 12 million confirmed cases.
Both the foreign and defence ministers have been replaced in the cabinet shuffle. The president’s loyal Foreign Minister, Ernesto Araújo, stepped down after he was heavily criticised by lawmakers over the weekend for damaging Brazil’s international standing. They said his poor handling of relations with China, India and the US meant Brazil had insufficient quantities of Covid-19 vaccine. The new team is linked to a coalition of right-wing parties that support Mr Bolsonaro in Congress, the BBC’s Leonardo Rocha reports.(BBC)…[+]