Brazil's Bolsonaro turns to center-right senator for political survival
July 27, 2021
3:58 PM CDT
Last Updated 3 hours ago
Americas
Anthony Boadle
3 minute read
BRASILIA, July 27 (Reuters) - Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has asked Senator Ciro Nogueira to be his chief of staff to shore up support in Congress in the face of falling popularity and growing outrage over his handling of the world's second-deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.
Nogueira, a leader of the center-right Progressives Party(PP), tweeted on Tuesday that he has accepted the job and is expected to be sworn in this week as Bolsonaro's closest minister, replacing a retired general.
He will be the first heavyweight politician to enter Bolsonaro's inner cabinet as the embattled president seeks allies to shield himself from calls in Congress for his impeachment and a Senate investigation of irregularities in the government's purchase of COVID-19 vaccines.
Nogueira belongs to the same PP party as House Speaker Arthur Lira, who has refused to take up any of the dozens of impeachment requests filed against Bolsonaro.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazils-bolsonaro-turns-center-right-senator-political-survival-2021-07-27/?rpc=401&
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