With a series of social media posts, former Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo and members of the ideological wing of the government have created constraints and undermined the work of the new chancellor, Carlos França.
The assessment was made in Folha by government interlocutors Jair Bolsonaro, who consider Ernesto’s recent publications as an obstacle to the pragmatic turn that France is trying to undertake in the chancellery.
During the May 1 holiday, Ernesto said that from last year, with the pandemic, a “system reaction” began to “dismantle” hopes raised by President Bolsonaro’s election in 2018.
“Today, the Brazilian people have the opportunity to regain hope, by simply asking President Bolsonaro to become again the president elected in 2018, the one who promised to defeat the system, the leader of a historical and constitutional transformation, the bearer of a mission, ”he wrote.
But before that, Ernesto had already made demonstrations that highlight his disagreement with France, creating in Itamaraty an unusual situation: that of a former chancellor who, even if he remains active in his career, emphasizes current leadership.
In a series of posts in which he defended himself against accusations that this was an obstacle to obtaining vaccines, Ernesto said on April 17 that Brazil’s situation in the region “has not changed “since he left office. “Or even in some cases it was postponed after that. Difficulties persist around the world. My performance was not an obstacle to anything.
He also stressed that until now, since he left office, no new vaccine had arrived in Brazil. And he attributed his fall to “framing a false story” to get the Foreign Ministry out of a project that he said was transformative.
Ten days later, in a sequence of tweets on Mercosur, Ernesto said one of his goals was to save the “sense of freedom” in international talks, but suggested that goal was dropped.
“The world has made it possible to exclude the idea and the feeling of freedom from the center of international discussions. Brazil now wants [queria] help solve this problem, globally or regionally. And Mercosur can [poderia] be part of this new world with freedom at its center, ”he wrote.
Ernesto is an active diplomat and, in theory, he could not express personal opinions on the conduct of Brazilian foreign policy without permission.
But the interlocutors heard by Folha believe that France, even if it is uncomfortable, does not have the political conditions to reprimand its subordinate.
This is because Ernesto still has the support of Bolsonaro and MP Eduardo Bolsonaro (PSL-SP), the president’s son.
In recent speeches, for example, Bolsonaro congratulated the former minister.
The balance sheet of diplomats is that Ernesto, elevated to the rank of idol of conservative movements and the hard core of Bolonarianism, is preparing to challenge an elective position in the legislature.
Still according to diplomats, this is one of the ex-minister’s few options, as he left Itamaraty’s command under intense wear and tear with Congress. In this context, he is unlikely to gain Senate approval to take over an embassy abroad, at least in the short term.
Ernesto is not the only one to try, through social networks, to keep alive the flame of Bolonarism in Itamaraty.
Recently, Eduardo Bolsonaro elogiou no Twitter o movimento encampado pelo presidente de El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, pelo qual o Congresso do país destituiu cinco juízes that compõem o Tribunal Constitucional, além do procurador-geral.
Bukele “has a majority of parliamentarians in his support,” wrote Eduardo. “Now Congress has removed all Supreme Court ministers for interference in the executive, all constitutionally. Judges judge cases, if they want to dictate policies that take to the streets to get elected. “