The Brazilian Ministry of Defense announced the resignation of the leaders of the three armed forces, the first time in the history of Brazil that the three leaders of the armed forces have left simultaneously since 1985.
Army Commander Addson Pujol, Navy Commander Alex Barboza and Air Force Commander Moretti Bermudi announced their resignations, a day after Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva announced he was leaving office, unexpectedly.
The minister said in a brief message that during his leadership of the armed forces, he maintained the armed forces according to the dictates of the constitution, without clarifying further details about the reasons for his leaving the post, but Brazilian media reported that the minister was forced to resign amid pressure from President Jair Bolsonaro.
The Brazilian President made the largest collective government reshuffle, which included 6 ministers, led by the ministers of defense, foreign affairs and justice, while the decision sparked widespread controversy in the country, and questions about its causes and timing.
Corona virus has killed nearly 314,000 people in Brazil, and the government has faced harsh criticism for its chaotic handling of the crisis (Anatolia)
This important cabinet reshuffle comes just two weeks after the dismissal of the Minister of Health, General Eduardo Pazuelo, and the appointment of Doctor Marcelo Quiroga as his successor.
And if the departure of Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo from the government was expected due to his being held by many responsible for the failures of the government strategy to combat the Corona virus, which has killed nearly 314,000 people in Brazil, the other ministerial changes surprised observers.
Araujo was accused, among other things, of isolating Brazil on the international stage and putting the country at a disadvantage when it came to buying vaccines.
Attorney General Jose Levy also submitted his resignation to the president, and Bloomberg News said among the reasons for the resignation was Levy's decision not to sign the measure proposed by Bolsonaro in the Supreme Court against state governors.
In a statement, the Ministry of Information said that Bolsonaro appointed diplomat Carlos Franca as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and General Luis Eduardo Ramos as chief of the presidential staff, a position located in Brazil in the middle between the positions of the Prime Minister and Chief of Staff and was occupied by General Walter Souza Braga Netto, who under the new amendment became Minister of Defense .
The Bolsonaro government is facing harsh criticism because of the chaos in its handling of the "Covid-19" pandemic and its refusal to acknowledge the gravity of the crisis.