Ambassador Carlos Alberto Franco França was confirmed this Friday 29 to replace Ernesto Araújo at Itamaraty.
France, 56, gained Bolsonaro’s trust in the period he led the ceremony at the Planalto Palace. So much so that he was subsequently appointed head of the presidential special advisory committee.
Graduated in law, he entered the diplomatic service in 1991.
França is a discreet diplomat, unaccustomed to the spotlight and has a career linked to the Itamaraty ceremonial.
The ceremonial space is strategic in diplomacy, because it organizes the various events of the Chancellery and maintains close contacts with the Minister of State or, in the case of Planalto, with the President.
Like Ernesto when he was appointed to the foreign ministry, France was only recently promoted to ambassador and has never led a post abroad.
Outside of Brazil, he has held posts in Brazilian embassies in Bolivia (twice), Paraguay and the United States.
Brazil-Bolivia relations were even the subject of his thesis on the graduate course, an academic work that diplomats must do before being promoted to the rank of second-class minister. France prepared the thesis “Hydroelectric projects on the Madeira River and Brazil-Bolivia relations: analysis of prospects for bilateral energy integration”.
Colleagues describe France as a calm and thoughtful professional, but note that he has a low profile, has had a low-key career in the institution and is not known as a foreign policy maker.
With the confirmation of his choice, he beat strong competitors and with a longer trajectory at Itamaraty.
One of the most cited names, Brazil’s Ambassador to Paris, Luís Fernando Serra, reached the peak of his career in 2005 and is on his fifth assignment as Head of Post.
Ambassador Maria Nazareth Farani de Azevêdo, current Consul General in New York, was in turn Brazilian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva. She is remembered as a possible chancellor since she spoke with the former deputy Jean Wyllys, of the PSOL, at the UN. But, internally, he was attacked by the Bolonarists for having been chief of staff to former Chancellor Celso Amorim (PT).