Brazil: an evangelical pastor becomes the 4th Minister of Education of Bolsonaro

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday appointed evangelical pastor Milton Ribeiro to the post of Minister of Education, of which he will be the fourth holder since the beginning of the mandate of the far-right leader. Milton Ribeiro, 62, whose appointment was published in the Official Journal on Friday, is a pastor with the Presbyterian Church of Santos, in the state of Sao Paulo. He will replace Carlos Alberto Decotelli, who had to resign on July 1, five days after his appointment and even before taking office, because he had lied about his university titles.

President Bolsonaro announced the appointment of Milton Ribeiro to his Facebook account, providing details of his curriculum vitae. “Doctor of USP (University of Sao Paulo, editor's note) , holder of a master's degree in law from Mackenzie Presbyterian University and graduate in law and theology. Since May 2019, he has been a member of the Ethics Commission of the Presidency of the Republic, ” he wrote. Milton Ribeiro had been appointed by Bolsonaro himself to the Ethics Commission, which is responsible for investigating ministers and other government officials.

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According to information from the Brazilian media, Milton Ribeiro was chosen following pressure from the evangelicals. The Ministry of Education has been dominated since President Bolsonaro came to power by the most conservative wing of government, very much influenced by Olavo de Carvalho, considered by many to be the “guru” of the Brazilian far right. The two prime ministers of education appointed by Mr. Bolsonaro, Ricardo Velez and Abraham Weintraub, were what politicians call "olavists". Velez remained in office for three weeks and one month. Weintraub was minister between April 2019 and June 2020. He had to resign following controversies triggered by a tweet deemed racist against China and by insults directed at the judges of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), the Court Brazilian supreme.

Since the beginning of Jair Bolsonaro's mandate in January 2019, a dozen ministers have been dismissed or have resigned because of controversy or for incompatibility with the president. Among them are two ministers of health, who left their posts during the coronavirus pandemic.

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