Ernestro Araújo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, resigned under pressure from Congress

Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo resigned on Monday after strong pressure from political sectors linked to President Jair Bolsonaro who even accused him of obstructing access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The information was confirmed at Efe by official sources, after a brief meeting that Araújo had with Bolsonaro, who summoned him to the seat of government to discuss his situation, but he has not yet officially informed whether he will accept the resignation or not.

According to the same sources, they said Efe, Araújo even anticipated his decision to resign during a meeting with directors of the Foreign Ministry held early Monday.

The best placed to fill the post left by Araújo are the ambassadors of the United States, Nestor Foster, and of France, Luis Fernando Serra. In recent days, the names of Communication Secretary Admiral Flávio Rocha and even former Brazilian President Fernando Collor (1990-1992) have also been mixed up.

the pressure against Araújo has grown in recent weeks and has become strong in parliamentary groups from the very official grassroots, dissatisfied with the criticisms of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil’s main partners, such as China and the United States.

The movement for Araújo’s departure is so explicit that it is even led by the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, and the Chairman of the External Relations Committee of the Upper House, Katia Abreu.

The origin of the unease lies in the persistent criticisms, more or less veiled, that Araújo has addressed in recent months to China and the United States, two countries considered important in facilitating access to vaccines against covid-19. , which he has in Brazil has already left more than 300,000 dead.

That same Monday, a group of senators stepped up the pressure against Araújo and agreed to discuss various actions during this week to force the Chancellor’s impeachment, of which they accused to run the country’s foreign policy in a “disastrous” way. Among the options considered was that of bringing an indictment motion against the Minister to the Supreme Court.

“Our foreign policy is disastrous and has helped make Brazil a global outcast and a global threat” because of the lack of control achieved by the covid-19 pandemic, with more than 312,000 deaths. “Its performance even compromises obtaining vaccines intended to save the lives of millions of Brazilians“Specifies the document, which also proposes to suspend the approval of new ambassadors, which depends on the Senate, while the Chancellor remains in office.

Before leaving office, Araújo had time this Sunday for his umpteenth controversy at the head of Itamaraty, when he slipped on social networks that the intentions of Senator Abreu to expel him were linked to the presence Chinese in the introduction of 5G technology in Brazil and not with vaccines.

In the case of China, he had direct friction with the Beijing ambassador to Brazil over comments questioning the effectiveness of vaccines made in that country and alluding to the origin of the virus, labeling the coronavirus of “Chinese virus”.

As for the United States, the minister, like President Jair Bolsonaro himself, publicly supported Donald Trump’s reelection attempt and even questioned the cleanliness of the elections ultimately won by current President Joe Biden.

(With information from EFE and Europa Press)

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