Army General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira took office Friday as the new Minister of Defense of Brazil, the main Latin American economy.
Nogueira, who was the head of the Army, took over in place of the resigning Walter Braga Netto, a retired general who was appointed special adviser to President Jair Bolsonaro.
The assumption was made during a ceremony at the Ministry of Defense with the presence of Bolsonaro, who has said in recent weeks that he has former minister Braga Netto as a possible candidate for vice president in his bid for re-election in the general elections next 2 October.
“I receive this mission with enthusiasm. I thank the president for trusting me with the conduct of sectoral policies in one of the essential areas for the sovereignty and for the very existence of the Brazilian State,” the new minister said in his speech.
Braga Netto left the ministerial post after joining President Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party.
According to the electoral law, in case a minister, secretary of state or governor wants to stand for election, it is necessary to leave office six months before the contest
