Brazil & Southern Cone
President-elect Tabaré Vázquez revealed his full cabinet in early December. The big question was whether he would stick to his principles, appoint the best man for the job and break the mould of political patronage. There was a nod to independents but positions were predominantly apportioned to different factions of the ruling coalition Encuentro Progresista-Frente Amplio (EP-FA).
Of the 13 posts in the cabinet, three went to Vázquez's own Partido Socialista (PS), two to the former Tupamaros, the Movimiento de Participación Popular (MPP), two to the Vertiente Artiguista faction (led by the incumbent mayor of Montevideo, Mariano Arana), and one each to the Alianza Progresista and Asamblea Uruguay.
The most interesting of Vázquez's final appointments are Azucena Berruti, who picks up the defence portfolio and Jorge Lepra, an independent who will be the new industry, energy and mining minister. Lepra, a former manager of Texaco for Uruguay and Paraguay, was a controversial choice among the more leftist elements of the EP-FA. Lepra is cut from the same cloth as Henrique Meirelles, a former FleetBoston executive, who was chosen by Brazil's President Lula da Silva as president of the central bank to appease the markets. Lepra's priority will be to reform the country's biggest company, the Administración Nacional de Combustible, Alcohol y Portland (Ancap). In December 2003, the Batlle government suffered a heavy defeat in a referendum on the privatisation of Ancap.
Berruti, 75, will be the first woman to serve as defence minister. A human rights lawyer during the military dictatorship (1973-1985), Berruti has also served as secretary-general of the Intendency of Montevideo. Berruti said that she would concentrate on human rights and investigate the fate of the `disappeared', a comment that has not exactly allayed fears, stirred up in the press, that an EP-FA government might purge the armed forces. Berruti said she would hold talks with relatives of the disappeared and the military top brass. 'The president-elect knows all about my work in this sphere, my concerns and my efforts on behalf of relatives of the disappeared,' she said. The 1986 law (ratified by referendum) shields the military from prosecution for crimes committed while in power.
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Vázquez's full cabinet
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| Danilo Astori* | Economy |
| Azucena Berrutti** |
Defence |
| José Mujica*** | Livestock, agriculture and fishing |
| Jose Diaz** |
Interior |
| Jorge Lepra (independent) | Industry, energy and mining |
| Jorge Brovetto (independent) | Education |
| Reynaldo Gargano** | Foreign affairs |
| Eduardo Bonomi*** | Labour and social security |
| Victor Rossi**** | Transport and public works |
| María Julia Muñoz***** | Health |
| Héctor Lezcano**** | Tourism |
| Mariano Arana***** | Housing, territorial planning and environment |
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* Asamblea Uruguay |
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