Brazilian Generals Gain Power with Government Restructuring
General Braga Netto, the new Chief of Staff, during the 2018 federal intervention in Rio. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Brazilian President Bolsonaro announced the latest changes in a Cabinet reform encompassing strategic ministries on February 12. General Braga Netto, the second-highest ranking figure in the military, has been named the new Chief of Staff. The former Chief of Staff, Congressman Onyx Lorenzoni, replaced fellow Congressman Osmar Terra as Minister of Citizenship.
According to General Luiz Eduardo Ramos, who is responsible for the government’s political articulation, this reform is the last act in the small ministerial reform that began with the exoneration of the second-in-command in the Chief of Staff’s office, Vicente Santini, on January 29. Congressman Rogério Marinho became the new Minister of Regional Development on January 11. The military gained the most with the changes, as generals now surround the president in political ministries and advisory positions.
Bolsonaro had been displeased with the former Chief of Staff’s performance since 2019. He gradually removed important prerogatives of the position, such as the political articulation (now with General Ramos), constraining Lorenzoni’s means.
The final nail in his coffin came when the second in command, Vicente Santini, used an Air Force jet to meet the president in Mumbai on January 29. Bolsonaro saw this action as an unnecessary and “immoral” waste of public resources. Onyx Lorenzoni was the first Congressman to jump into Bolsonaro’s campaign in 2017, explaining the decision to reward him with another position in the administration.
The Ministry of Citizenship was the chosen prize for Lorenzoni’s loyalty because of its strategic place in the government’s plans for 2020. It controls the most famous welfare program in the country, Bolsa Familia, which the president intends to reform.
In the president’s perception, the former minister, Congressman Osmar Terra, had failed to address the growing waiting list for the benefit, as at least 500,000 Brazilians are waiting for the monthly deposits.
The new Chief of Staff, General Braga Netto, was the second-highest ranking figure in the armed forces. His long career includes a period as military attaché to the Brazilian embassy in Washington, D.C. and the responsibility of heading Rio de Janeiro’s security during the 2016 Olympics.
He gained further national attention in 2018, when he was chosen to lead the federal intervention in Rio after the escalation of violence and crime rates. His extreme discretion— he barred the press from public statements—was a strong point in his favor, as the government pours a lot of resources into damage control because of political gaffes.
On a macro level, the primary beneficiaries of the reform were the high-ranking military officers. After a troubled early 2020, President Bolsonaro opted to surround himself with reputable military officers. Beyond the vice-presidency (General Hamilton Mourão), military officers now control five central ministries and advisory positions, forming the most important group around the president.
Generals Augusto Heleno, Braga Netto, and Eduardo Ramos all control special secretariats with ministry-like status and linked directly with the President. Their influence grew after the disasters of last year’s forest fires, as this group tends to be very concerned over matters of national security and the Amazon. After Bolsonaro chose the vice-president to head the recently instituted Amazon Council, this trend became clear and seemed to signal the government’s new direction for the coming years.