By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – In addition to protests by teachers and students, investigations into one of his son’s financial activities and the stalemate in social security reform, Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro, is now facing what he himself has called a possible “tsunami“. In less than three weeks, one of Bolsonaro’s main campaign promises – to reduce the federal government’s structure – may be rejected by Congress.
If a Provisional Measure issued by Bolsonaro at the beginning of January, which reduces the number of cabinet ministries from 29 to 22, is not approved by the national Congress by June 3rd, the Administration will have to re-create the seven extinguished ministries, thus adding hundreds of public servants back onto the government’s payroll.
“Increasing the number of ministries weakens the president’s [campaign] speech. He said – during the campaign – up to 15 ministries were enough. He ended up opting to put 22. If it increases, it will be bad for the government,” political science professor at the State University of Goiás, Felippo Madeira, told the daily “Correio Brasiliense”.
In practice, a veto of the measure by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate would bring back the ministries of Labor and Culture, and remove the Ministry of Finance and Planning from under “super” minister Paulo Guedes’s Economy Ministry.
The Ministry of Justice, previously led by Lava Jato “Car Wash” judge Sergio Moro, would be dismembered, taking Public Security out of the Minister’s jurisdiction.
According to local media Congress, which has not seen eye-to-eye with the Administration since the inauguration, is already getting ready to suggest names of possible ministers. To try to approve the measure, Bolsonaro’s government gave in and agreed to split the Ministry of Regional Development in two and re-establish two ministries extinguished in January, those of Cities and National Integration.
“It was decided that the Ministry of Regional Development will be dismembered and the Ministry of Cities and the Ministry of National Integration will be re-created,” Senator Fernando Bezerra Coelho told reporters last week after leaving a meeting with Economy Minister, Paulo Guedes.
Despite the possible “tsunami” and the further weakening of the Administration, Bolsonaro’s Chief of Staff, Onyx Lorenzoni, said this week he was “calm” and that there was “zero risk” that the Provisional Measure would expire without ratification by Congress.