Brazilian President-elect Bolsonaro backpedals on removal of Labor Ministry

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday that he has changed his mind about the removal of the Labor Ministry, an decision he made last week.

Earlier in the day, Bolsonaro said that the Labor Ministry will maintain its status on his government, which will start in January. The new announcement was made during his second trip to the country's capital city Brasilia since the election.

The move to replace the Labor Ministry with a much smaller office inside the Ministry of Economy was severely criticized and deemed illogical and counterproductive.

Bolsonaro also backpedaled on a much-criticized decision to move the administration of federal universities from the Education Ministry to the Science and Technology Ministry.

After winning the presidential election, Bolsonaro announced a number of measures he later took back. In addition to the above announcements, Bolsonaro also withdrew a decision to merge the Agriculture and Environment Ministries, among others. The constant backpedaling has left people wondering how the new government will actually work out.

The President-elect also announced on Tuesday the appointment of his seventh minister, retired Army General Fernando Azevedo e Silva as Defense Minister.

The name of the new Foreign Relations Ministry may be announced in this week, he said.