BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who manages the campaign committee for President Jair Bolsonaro’s reelection, said he did not know whether Economy Minister Paulo Guedes would remain in the government for a second term, noting that his role is “tiring.”
In an interview with newspaper O Globo published on Friday, Flavio – who is also Bolsonaro’s son – said, however, that it will be up to the minister to decide.
“I don’t know if he would continue in office for a second term. It depends on his willingness. … It’s a very exhausting job,” he said.
“If he wants to continue making his contribution, President Bolsonaro will undoubtedly agree on the spot, but we don’t know about his personal plans.”
Seen as Bolsonaro’s economic guru since his 2018 campaign, Guedes has been struggling to defend his liberal agenda at a time when both Bolsonaro’s government and Congress seek to pass fiscal measures to lower fuel prices ahead of October’s elections.
Fuel prices have soared in the past year, weighing on double-digit inflation in the country and affecting Bolsonaro’s popularity. For now, Bolsonaro remains in a distant second in voting polls behind former leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
According to Flavio, Guedes “knows the importance, in an election year, of having a more bitter remedy to hold back inflation, reduce the price of the U.S. dollar and create more jobs.”
Guedes and the senator did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Mark Porter)
