To avoid an act that would certainly be interpreted as a criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro, Itamaraty leaders decided to hold a very private graduation ceremony for the new diplomats.
The event, which marks the conclusion of the period of studies at Instituto Rio Branco, the school for training diplomats, is one of the most important on the calendar of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Traditionally, the ceremony includes the participation of the President of the Republic and various authorities, in addition to press coverage.
However, the event this Wednesday (1st) ended up becoming a true dilemma for Chancellor Carlos França. This is because, in an internal vote, the graduates of the group chose to honor Ambassador José Jobim (1909-1979) as their patron.
In 2018, the Brazilian State acknowledged that Jobim had been assassinated by the military dictatorship. Back then, the diplomat had stated that he would report cases of overpricing identified in the construction of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant.
The opinion of the Itamaraty leadership was that, this time, it would have been unfeasible to have Bolsonaro, who is an enthusiast of the military regime, as the main guest of the event this year. The tribute to Ambassador Jobim would have been understood as an indirect criticism of the president.
The event was closed to the press and there was no broadcast of the ceremony either.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon