In 2018, an improbable coalition of military officers, ultra-libertarian economists, far-right ideological zealots, and agribusiness representatives helped push Jair Bolsonaro to the presidency of Brazil. But in the 18 months since he took office, the ideological patchwork that is his administration has led to numerous squabbles between government members. The latest spark was lit when Abraham Weintraub, a quintessential member of the “zealots,” was dismissed from the Education Ministry, leaving an important vacancy to be filled within the administration.
In a push to appoint someone with a proven track record in education yet also cater to his more radical supporters, Mr. Bolsonaro named evangelical preacher Milton Ribeiro as the new Education Minister. But this move might not have been enough for this segment of his electorate, as one of Mr. Ribeiro’s first acts in office was to promise secularism and moderation.
For a sizable portion of the president’s support base, such conciliatory speech does not cut it. Much of the far-right sees the Education Ministry as one of the most important “trenches” in their crusade against “cultural Marxism” an antisemitic conspiracy theory by which an international plot exists to impose ideologies of political correctness, multiculturalism and feminism.
The departed Abraham Weintraub...
Search
