Lula Cabinet Pick Signals Sharp Left Turn as Approval Falls
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Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tapped the head of his Workers’ Party to a key cabinet role in a sign his government is taking a sharp turn to the left as he tries to turn around plummeting approval ratings.
Lula named congresswoman Gleisi Hoffmann as his new Minister of Institutional Relations on Friday, putting a fierce critic of fiscal austerity and high interest rates into a key advisory role that also serves as the government’s chief legislative negotiator. She will replace Alexandre Padilha, who is slated to take over the Health Ministry as part of a broader cabinet overhaul.