Cecília Jorge
Repórter da Agência Brasil

Brasília – The present executive secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Márcio Fortes, has been named the new minister of Cities, where he will substitute Olivio Dutra, who will return to the state of Rio Grande do Sul and work with his political party, the PT.

Fortes is not a member of any political party, but he was indicated by the PP [in Brazilian politics, as it is impossible for the government to have a congressional majority, the party in power (the PT at the moment) has to negotiate alliances with other parties. Removing an old-time PT politician (Dutra) so someone chosen by another party (Fortes), is just part of the way things work]. Fortes is a lawyer and a diplomat.

Marcio Fortes does have executive branch experience. He has been the executive secretary at the ministries of Agriculture and Mines and Energy, where he briefly served as acting minister, as well. He has been the president of the Brazilian Farm Research Corporation (Embrapa) and the National Supply Company (Conab). He also has much experience in foreign trade, having worked in the Brazil Foreign Trade Association (AEB), the Foreign Trade Studies Center Foundation (Funcex), the Brazil-US Business Council (Cebeu), the Mercosur Foreign Trade Council (Mercoex) and the Brazil-Russia Trade, Industry and Tourism Chamber.

Translator: Allen Bennett