Reuters: “Under attack from all sides, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro did what might have been expected of a former army captain – he went on the offensive. Thousands of Brazilians are dying daily of COVID-19, the economy is struggling and the president’s political arch-rival now threatens his 2022 re-election bid. So Bolsonaro shuffled the deck, putting loyalists in key ministerial positions and smoothing relations with capricious allies in Congress. By making six changes to his Cabinet, the largest shake-up of his presidency so far, Bolsonaro regained the initiative. The reshuffle began with allies’ demands to tone down the far-right rhetoric, including the ouster of anti-China firebrand Ernesto Araujo as top diplomat. But Bolsonaro’s main objective, according to political analysts, was gaining greater control over the armed forces and the federal police.”

“Unexpected shake-ups at the Defense Ministry and the Justice Ministry, which oversees the police, put staunch Bolsonaro supporters in charge. A Cabinet position handling legislative priorities went to a member of the powerful congressional coalition known as the ‘centrão,’ whose support is vital to keeping impeachment at bay. ‘Bolsonaro started yesterday morning on the ropes, taking hits from all sides,’ said Paulo Kramer, a political scientist in Brasilia. ‘But as the day passed, he turned it around.’ Signs of easier relations between Congress and the president helped Brazilian stocks, which hit a one-month high on Tuesday. For Kramer, Bolsonaro’s moves were at their core focused on short-term survival, although next year’s election and the prospect of facing leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is never far from the leader’s mind. ‘He knows the next two months are going to be really tough until the curve flattens,’ Kramer said, referring to the explosion of cases that has made Brazil the current epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.”