Bolsonaro fired his Minister of Education

RIO DE JANEIRO – After a caustic internal dispute over power spaces between the ideological wing and the government army, President Jair Bolsonaro today fired his Minister of Education, Ricardo Velez, whose management has been controversial. This is the second resignation of the cabinet of the far right president, who will spend the first 100 days at the head of the palace of Plbadto.

"I am communicating to all the appointment of Professor Abraham Weintraub responsible for the Ministry of Education." Abraham is a doctor, university professor and has extensive management experience and knowledge necessary for the portfolio. " I take this opportunity to thank Professor Vélez for the services rendered. Bolsonaro announced via his Twitter account.

The departure of Vélez, born in Colombia and naturalized Brazilian, was taken for granted for several days, after the struggle of influence in the administration between "pragmatic" military ministers and "ideological" presidential advisers, followers of the philosopher Olavo de Carvalho, considered as an "ideological guru" of the government with his thought of "new Brazilian right" which promoted the theory of the anti-left plot of "cultural Marxism".

Vélez was one of the most loyal followers of De Carvalho, like the three political sons of Bolsonaro -Flavio, senator; Eduardo, MP; and Carlos, Councilor in Rio de Janeiro, Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, and the Special Adviser on International Affairs of the Presidency, Filipe Martins. However, in recent weeks, after giving in to the army following several changes within his team, Vélez has lost the confidence of De Carvalho, who has severely criticized him on social networks and the Called him a traitor.

Since he took office at the Ministry of Education, Vélez has sparked a lot of controversy, especially when he asked school directors to film students singing the music. national anthem during the celebration of the flag. when he announced that he would change the school history books to take stock of the treatment of the 1964 coup and the ensuing military dictatorship; when he said that the university was not for everyone; or, in an interview, he described Brazilian tourists as "cannibals" because of their bad behavior during their travels abroad. In addition, in three months, as Minister, he has repeatedly modified fifteen key positions, dissatisfied with his own appointments, which has resulted in the paralysis of the portfolio, one of the largest.

The dismissal of Velez is the second exit of the cabinet of Bolsonaro after the dismissal, in mid-February, of the minister in charge of the general secretariat of the presidency, Gustavo Bebianno, involved in an alleged embezzlement scandal. elections in the ruling Liberal Social Party (PSL) in last October's elections. Bebianno was replaced by a soldier, the reserve general Floriano Peixoto, who thus became the eighth member of the armed forces in the cabinet of 22 members.

Abraham Weintraub, elected by the President as the new Minister of Education, is a professor at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), holds a master's degree in finance from the Getulio Vargas Foundation and from 39, a recognized financial market executive, where he was before. Director of Votorantim Corretora. With his brother Arthur, he actively participated in the Bolsonaro election campaign and brought ideas for the ambitious pension reform that the Minister of the Economy, the neoliberal Paulo Guedes, is now proposing to Congress. He has the support not only of economists but also of the military that make up the government.