Insider

Bolsonaro picks a new Solicitor General

solicitor general Bruno Bianco during a press conference, in Brasília. Photo: Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr
Bruno Bianco during a press conference, in Brasília. Photo: Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr

President Jair Bolsonaro used his official Twitter account to confirm the nomination of Bruno Bianco as the country’s new Solicitor General. He will replace André Luiz Mendonça, recently appointed to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.

Mr. Bianco served as special secretary of Social Security and Labor within the Economy Ministry and only last week he was appointed Deputy Labor Minister, as the department was recreated in Mr. Bolsonaro’s latest cabinet reshuffle.

According to his résumé, Mr. Bianco holds a master’s degree from the law school of University of Marília and made his career in public service as a prosecutor within the Solicitor General’s office since 2008. 

Bruno Bianco became better known to a wider audience as one of the faces of the 2019 pension reform — less for his work and more for his abnormally high-pitched voice, which is the result of a dysfunction in his vocal chords. This earned him the nickname “Mickey Mouse,” which Mr. Bianco has himself acknowledged on social media.

“I thank [President Jair Bolsonaro] for the trust,” the new Solicitor General wrote on Twitter. “Together, we passed the pension reform, the [program allowing companies to cut or suspend wages and contracts] to preserve jobs and revenue [during the pandemic].”