Lula swears in three ministers, creates ministry for small businesses

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva swore in Ministers Sílvio Costa Filho, André Fufuca, and Márcio França on Wednesday (Sep. 13). The ceremony took place in a private meeting at the Planalto presidential palace.

Now members of the government, federal representatives André Fufuca and Silvio Costa Filho have taken over the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Ports and Airports, respectively. The president had made the invitation to the parliamentarians formal last week.

Talks had been going on for months and mark the entry of the Republicans party and the Progressive Party (PP) into the government’s top echelon—the latter’s main exponent being lower house speaker Arthur Lira, who attended the event. Fufuca is taking over from Ana Moser, while Costa Filho succeeds Márcio França, who is affiliated to the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). França will now take over the newly created Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Micro-enterprises, and Small Businesses.

The Republicans and the PP are among the largest parliamentary groups in the Brazilian lower house, where the government is seeking to strengthen its support base for the approval of bills.