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Bolsonaro got rid this Thursday of one of the most controversial members of his Government: Abraham Weintraub, the Minister of Education, one of the strong men of the most ideological wing of the executive and symbol of the cultural war of Bolsonarism.

The situation began to turn sharply a few weeks ago, when a video of a council of ministers came to light in which the Weintraub proposed to imprison the "scoundrels" of the judges of the Federal Supreme Court. At that meeting, Weintraub also loudly confessed that he "hates" the concept of indigenous peoples and gypsies, because everyone should consider themselves simply Brazilian.

On another occasion, he also provoked a diplomatic conflict with China, making offensive comments on Twitter and insinuating that the Asian country caused the coronavirus pandemic to dominate the world. A few days ago, he participated in a demonstration organized by government supporters in which there were anti-democratic slogans and in favor of military intervention, and ended up being fined for not wearing the mandatory anti-Covid-19 mask.

All these behaviors earned him two processes in the Justice: one for an alleged crime of racism (for the offenses against China) and the other for attacks on democratic institutions (for his threats to the judges). In verbal incontinence, he is the minister who most resembles the president and the ideological connection was total.

He announced his farewell with a video with the president, dedicating praise: "At this time I saw a patriot who defends the same values that I believe in: family, freedom, honesty, openness, patriotism and God in the heart (...) I will continue to fight for freedom, but I will continue to fight in another way, "he said visibly excited. The exit has been agreed and now the Brazilian Government will propose him for a high position in the World Bank.

He walked out of the police station

Despite the controversies (or precisely thanks to them) Weintraub was one of the most popular ministers among Bolsonaro fans. After being questioned by the police a few days ago, he walked out of the police station. Weintraub represented the most ideological profile of the Government and was in a key position for the "cultural war" of Bolsonarism against the values ​​that they consider "communist".

He came to office in April 2019, replacing former minister Ricardo Vélez, who fell due to the strong tensions that existed within the ministry between evangelical, military fundamentalists and 'olavistas' (followers of the far-right guru Olavo de Carvalho) to take the helm of one of the most important ministries in the country. Weintraub managed to pacify the different internal currents and immediately put his cards on the table.

Shortly after taking over the ministry, he set fire to the student movement by announcing the freezing of the budget of public universities, arguing that the centers are places of "uncontrolled parties" and where there are even gigantic marijuana plantations. His words sparked massive street protests, the largest recorded to date against the Bolsonaro government.

The "worst minister of education in history"

His management, from controversy to controversy and without concrete action plans, has led the opposition and the education sector to qualify him as the "worst Minister of Education in history". One of his latest proposals was that during the coronavirus pandemic the Government could appoint the rectors of the universities. The National Congress interpreted it as an unprecedented attack on university autonomy and did not even bother to put the measure to a vote, it returned it.

Weintraub's removal can be interpreted as a gesture by Bolsonaro to appease his relations with the Supreme Court at a time of maximum tension. And is that the president has several fronts open with Justice (this Thursday Fabricio Queiroz, one of the former advisers to one of his sons, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro) was arrested for corruption .

Facing his most radical followers, however, Weintraub's departure is a disappointment, hence the effort to appear together in the farewell message. The hardest Bolsonarismo sees how one of the heavyweights is leaving at the same time that faces of the 'old politics' come into the picture.

This same week, Bolsonaro recovered the Ministry of Communications to offer the position to Fabio Faria, a name of the 'centrão', the group of parties without a defined ideology. Bolsonaro, who always criticized them and associated them with the exchange of favors and corruption, now approaches them in search of a parliamentary majority that will give him some security in troubled times.

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