Head of Banco do Brasil resigns after criticism from Bolsonaro

Icon: enlarge

Branch of Banco do Brasil (archive image)

Photo: UESLEI MARCELINO / REUTERS

After President Jair Bolsonaro's continued criticism of planned branch closings, the head of Brazil's largest state bank has resigned.

André Brandao wanted to forestall a possible dismissal, reports the Reuters news agency, citing two sources.

The news portal "G1" had previously reported frictions between Brandao and Bolsonaro.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has nominated the current director of BB Consórcios, Fausto de Andrade, as the new head of the bank, reported the Brazilian media, citing Banco do Brasil.

The announcement of the closure is said to have angered the president.

Brandao, in turn, disrupted the business newspaper Valor Económico, according to Bolsonaro's growing pressure on state-owned companies.

In January, for example, the right-wing populist nominated former general and former defense minister Joaquim Silva e Luna as the new head of the semi-state oil company Petrobras in place of the market-friendly economist Roberto Castello Branco.

Bolsonaro played down the corona virus at an early stage and questions the sense of a vaccination.

With around 280,000 deaths, Brazil is one of the hardest hit countries in the world.

On Monday, Bolsonaro announced that he would change his health minister for the third time in his term of office.

Icon: The mirror

dab / dpa / Reuters