Monday (April 27th): Minister Moro out, but for how long?

Sergio Moro

Name? Sérgio Moro

Westphalian identity? Brasilian

Age? 47

Why is he in the news? As minister of Justice, he is one of the two “superministers” in Bolsonaro’s Cabinet. Well, he stepped down yesterday sparking immediate protests against Bolsonaro in the form of pot-banging through the windows of Rio de Janeiro. 

Why do we care? Moro disagreed with Bolsonaro on many things lately. Bolsonaro’s response to Covid-19 being just one example. Maybe completely downplaying it wasn’t the best idea, at least not to Moro and former health minister Mandetta (whom Bolsonaro fired last week over a disagreement). But the straw that broke the camel’s back was Bolsonaro wanting to replace the head of the federal police with one of his friends who would keep him informed (and maybe to stop investigations into his sons; Flavio, involvement in killing a journalist, and Carlos, fake news campaigns).

Why should you care? Placing your buddies in positions that are supposed to hold checks and balances intact does not help democracy, Mr. Trump…ahhh Mr. Bolsonaro. You don’t do that. And we should remind our politicians of that on a daily basis. 

Who else cares? Paulo Guedes, the other “superminister” in Bolsonaro’s cabinet and his last link to the political centre of Brazil. If he goes as well, Bolsonaro is in deep trouble with his electorate.

Any further comments? This step down by Moro weakens Bolsonaro’s connection to the political centre immensely. Even conservative news anchors criticised him for his alleged actions, and we all know that conservative news sources have a tough time criticising their politicians. Rumours have it that the extremely popular Sérgio Moro could run for President in two and a half years, challenging Bolsonaro. Just imagine the set up: a deeply shaken country with a crippled economy associated with Bolsonaro vs Sérgio Moro, the only one left with enough integrity to fight corruption. Well played Mr Moro, well played.

Joshua Dario Hasenstab

General Coordinator