Health Minister appoints pro-intervention general to senior position

Brazil’s embattled Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello has once again drawn criticism by appointing Army General Ridauto Lucio Fernandes to his ministry’s logistics department.

On his Facebook profile, Gen. Fernandes has made a series of anti-democratic posts, defending measures such as the shutdown of Congress, military intervention, and a state of exception in Brazil.

Since joining the cabinet, Mr. Pazuello — himself an Army General — has appointed at least 20 military figures to key positions, including an intelligence officer who has been put in charge of coordinating vaccine purchases. These moves have exasperated experts, but also senior officials in the Armed Forces — who fear their image will be tainted by the ministry’s botched management of the pandemic.

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