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Weekly Report - 06 February 2014 (WR-14-05)
BRAZIL: Rousseff asserts her authority
Of the four cabinet changes announced by President Dilma Rousseff on 30 January, the most notable was the appointment of the former education minister, Aloízio Mercadante, to the position of cabinet chief. Mercadante, one of the founders of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT), is extremely close to both President Rousseff and her predecessor Lula da Silva (2003-2010). An economist by training, Mercadante’s PhD thesis examined the “new Brazilian development”, which combined economic growth with income distribution. His appointment shows that Planalto is bringing economic policy in-house, and provides some cover for Brazil’s struggling finance minister, Guido Mantega. As with the elevation of the low-key Luiz Alberto Figueiredo to the foreign ministry last year, the move suggests Rousseff is eager to concentrate power in the run-up to elections in October.
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