'I am ready for the mission,' says General Heleno, a potential running mate for Bolsonaro.
Retired General Augusto Heleno stated that he is ready to be Jair Bolsonaro's (PSL) running mate; he said: "I am prepared to fulfill the mission, should it happen, but I am not seeking it, nor am I aspiring to it"; amidst information anticipated by the press, Heleno also declared: "I have not yet been informed. This is yet to be decided, but without a deadline. I don't know if things have been rushed."
247 Retired General Augusto Heleno stated that he is ready to be Jair Bolsonaro's (PSL) running mate. He said: "I am prepared to fulfill the mission, should it happen, but I am not seeking it, nor am I aspiring to it." Amidst information previously reported by the press, Heleno also declared: "I have not yet been informed. This is yet to be decided, but without a deadline. I don't know if things have been rushed."
"General Heleno and Bolsonaro met in the late 70s at the Agulhas Negras Military Academy (Aman), in Resende, in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state. At the time, Augusto Heleno was a lieutenant, and Bolsonaro, now a former captain, was a cadet. The two became close through parachuting and never lost contact. At the Presidential Palace, the general says that rank will not be an influence."
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Even in retirement, Heleno remains a leader in the Army. He became more widely known to the general public in 2004 after assuming command of the UN Peacekeeping Forces in Haiti. Back in Brazil, he worked in the Army High Command before being appointed military commander of the Amazon in 2008, during Lula's government. At the time, he clashed with the Workers' Party government over the demarcation of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous reserve.