Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro under fire over plans to appoint his son ambassador to US

Eduardo Bolsonaro said he had the support of the Foreign Minister to be ambassador to the US
Eduardo Bolsonaro said he had the support of the Foreign Minister to be ambassador to the US Credit: REUTERS

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has said he is considering nominating his son to be ambassador to the United States, raising a storm of complaints on Friday alleging nepotism.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is currently a congressman, met with Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo on Friday and told reporters that the minister "expressed support" for his nomination.

The president himself has previously spoken in favour of the appointment. "My understanding is that he could be a qualified person and would be the perfect message to Washington," he said.

 

But diplomats in Brazil have reacted to the report with scorn as they pointed to the younger Bolsonaro's lack of experience on the international stage and general lack of qualifications.

 

"It's absurd that he's even being considered. Bolsonaro wants to govern in his backyard.... the nomination for ambassador is unacceptable," tweeted Senate opposition leader Randolfe Rodrigues.

His father, president Jair Bolsonaro, has been accused of nepotism
His father, president Jair Bolsonaro, has been accused of nepotism Credit: AFP

Congressman Ivan Valente of the leftist Socialism and Liberty Party said the nomination would be unethical. "This is a complete mess. An international embarrassment," he tweeted.

A 2008 Supreme Court decision prohibits Brazilian authorities from nominating close family members to official posts, but the ruling was vague and Bolsonaro's allies argue it doesn't apply in this case.

When asked by reporters about his qualifications for the position, Eduardo Bolsonaro said he had been in a foreign exchange program where he "fried hamburgers in the United States, in the cold in Maine" and "in the cold in Colorado, on a mountain there."

A 2017 YouTube video shows him standing in front of a Popeyes chicken counter recounting his time in the U.S. in 2004-2005.

Eduardo Bolsonaro also noted that he heads the foreign relations commission in the lower house of Congress.

He accompanied his father on his trip to meet Donald Trump at the White House, where he said Brazilians who were illegally living in the United States were "our embarrassment." The statement caused disapproval at home.

On the same trip he spoke to reporters wearing a "Trump 2020" baseball hat and also sported a hat that said, "Make Brazil Great Again," a reference to Donald Trump's campaign slogan.

Eduardo Bolsonaro was Brazil's most voted for congressman and plays a key part in his father's political movement.

Oliver Stuenkel, a professor of international relations at the Getulio Vargas Foundation University, said Bolsonaro's appointment as US ambassador would indicate Brazil's relationship with Washington.

"Brazil is not a priority in Washington and this one of the great misunderstandings in Brazil. There's a long list of other foreign policy issues in Washington... Brazil is not in the top 10," Stuenkel said.

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