Crisis-hit Brazil replaces ‘Scissorhands’ finance minister

Underfire Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff replaced Friday the finance minister dubbed “Scissorhands” for his swingeing spending cuts, after credit raters downgraded the country to junk status in an economic and political crisis.

US-trained Joaquim Levy will be replaced by current Planning Minister Nelson Barbosa, a close ally of Rousseff seen as less free-marketeering in his approach, her office said in a statement.

“The president is grateful for the dedication of Joaquim Levy, who played a fundamental role in tackling the economic crisis,” it said.

Levy, 54, formerly worked at the International Monetary Fund and in Brazil earned the nickname “Scissorhands” for tough spending cuts in Latin America’s biggest economy.

But the market-friendly politician failed to achieve his goal of rebalancing the public finances in a poor country with a big welfare spending bill.

His departure comes just under a year after he took up the job of finance minister in the recession-hit country under Rousseff’s leftist government.

Her leadership is in crisis and she faces calls for impeachment proceedings in a public financing scandal.

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Congress must restart the impeachment proceedings from scratch, however, and overhauled the procedure in a badly needed win for the embattled president.

The political chaos is adding to Brazil’s economic woes, with GDP down 4.5 percent in the third quarter year-on-year, and the national currency, the real, down one-third against the dollar this year.

Also US-trained and a former rowing champion, Barbosa, 46, is reputed to have a more growth-oriented approach than Levy, closer to the spirit of the governing Workers’ Party. (AFP)