New names for Bolsonaro administration confirmed

Extraordinary Government Transition Minister Onyx Lorenzoni confirmed Wednesday (Nov. 21) the future appointment of lawyer Gustavo Bebianno as head of the president’s Secretariat-General. He is a “well-prepared man” whom Jair Bolsonaro “trusts completely.”

Gustavo Bebianno is the former president of the Social Liberal Party—the party joined by Bolsonaro before his campaign—and is regarded as his right-hand man.

Bebianno expressed gratitude for the invitation and said the main goal of his ministry will be the modernization of the state and red-tape reduction. “It will be the government looking at how it serves the population,” he told journalists at the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB) in Brasília, where the president-elect’s government transition team is temporarily based.

Bebianno is regarded as Bolsonaro's right-hand man.. - José Cruz/Agência Brasil

The future minister said a list of prospective names for his team is being considered. One of the possible appointments is Carlos Bolsonaro, son of the future president, who may be in charge of the president’s Press Secretariat.

“He’s always been tasked with communication. He’s crucial for the team and also for the president.”

Attorney-General

On Twitter, President-Elect Jair Bolsonaro also announced the name of André Luiz de Almeida Mendonça as head of the Office of the Attorney-General—the department in charge of protecting the interests of the Executive branch in court. Under Brazilian law, the attorney-general holds minister status.

Bolsonaro described Mendonça as “a lawyer with wide experience in the sector.” Mendonça is a career prosecutor and holds a graduate degree in law from the University of Brasília.