Bolsonaro dismisses the third minister in only six months of government

President Jair Bolsonaro dismissed yesterday (5.Jun.2019) General Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, who was in charge of the Secretary of Government of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil. He will be substituted by another military man, Army General Luiz Eduardo Ramos Baptista Pereira.

In recent weeks, Santos Cruz has come under attack from the former astrologer and guru of the Bolsonaro clan Olavo de Carvalho and Carlos, the president's son. Olavo even directed offensive and obscene language to Santos Cruz in social media.

The departure of Santos Cruz is being seen as a blow to government approval with part of the private sector. Many businessmen question whether the decision could be the beginning of a conflict with the most pragmatic wing of the government.

Santos Cruz is a highly respected military man. He commanded troops on a mission to Haiti from January 2007 to April 2009 and also led thousands of soldiers between 2013 and 2015 at another UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.