Carolina Pimentel
Reporter Agência Brasil

Brasília - The present executive secretary at the Ministry of Planning, Nelson Machado, is to be the new minister of Social Security, where he will substitute Romero Juca, a PMDB senator from Roraima.

Machado has been the Ministry of Planning executive secretary ever since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office in January 2003. He was the acting minister when Guido Mantego left to head the Brazilian Development Bank (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social) (BNDES).

Machado has a law degree from the University of Brasilia, an M.A. in Budgetary and Financial Administration from the Getulio Vargas Foundation and a Ph.D. in Accounting and Comptrollership from the University of São Paulo.

He was a top aide in the city of São Paulo's secretariat of Finances from 1991 to 1992. He has also been the director of the state of São Paulo School of Financial Administration.

Translator: Allen Bennett