Former Budget Secretary Esther Dweck gains momentum to lead the Ministry of Planning.
According to Reuters, Dweck's name has the support of the PT (Workers' Party), within which she is seen as an expert with knowledge of the workings of the public administration.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - The name of economist Esther Dweck, former Secretary of the Federal Budget, has gained traction in recent days to head the Ministry of Planning under President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva starting in January, according to four sources with knowledge of the negotiations.
Lula announced on Friday that former São Paulo mayor Fernando Haddad would head the Ministry of Finance, emphasizing that he would be "very much in tune" with the person chosen for the Ministry of Planning.
Holding a PhD in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Dweck was the Budget Secretary at the Ministry of Planning during the administration of then-President Dilma Rousseff and is considered to have a more heterodox approach. Previously, she had served as head of the ministry's economic advisory office.
In the government transition team, she is part of the coordination of the technical group for Planning, Budget and Management.
The choice of name would also meet the demand for the new government to increase the number of women in top-level positions in Brasília.
According to one source, Dweck's name has the support of the PT (Workers' Party), within which she is seen as an expert with knowledge of the workings of the public sector.
A second source, who is following the negotiations for the formation of the economic team, confirmed that Esther has gained momentum, noting that her name has been "circulating well" in conversations within the elected government since the weekend.
Contacted by Reuters, Esther Dweck did not immediately respond.
The same source highlighted that names previously considered for the position have weakened in the race, citing economists Pérsio Arida, André Lara Resende, and Bernard Appy.
Another female candidate who is also in the running, according to one of the sources, is the Finance Secretary of Goiás, Cristiane Schmidt, who has the support of Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and allies, but who does not have connections within the PT (Workers' Party).
Two other sources suggested that Dweck's name had been mentioned in conversations within the elected government, but stressed that no decision had been made and that, in their opinion, the economist is unlikely to be chosen.
Early Tuesday evening, Haddad is expected to give a press interview about his new role. There is no indication yet of when he will announce names for his team, nor is the timing of Lula's announcement for the Planning Ministry set.
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