Ex-WTO Chief Joins Caiado's Trade Policy Team

Who is Roberto Azevêdo and why does his appointment matter?

Roberto Azevêdo is a career diplomat trained at the Instituto Rio Branco and an electrical engineer from the University of Brasília (UnB). In 2013, he became the first Latin American to lead the World Trade Organization, defeating candidates backed by the United States and the European Union. In 2017, he was re-appointed by consensus for a second term.

What will Azevêdo do in the Caiado campaign?

Azevêdo will coordinate the Diplomacy and Foreign Trade axis of Ronaldo Caiado's government plan. The overall government plan is led by former minister Roberto Brant, whose goal is to distinguish Caiado's economic proposals from those of PT-led governments. The campaign has been rolling out key appointments over recent days.

What is Caiado's position on the current Brazil-US trade tension?

In a statement, Caiado criticised both polarising presidential candidacies, accusing one side of encouraging tariffs for electoral purposes and replacing substantive debate with international bickering, and the other of politicising trade negotiations through diplomatic provocations that damage Brazil's foreign relations.

Who else is joining the Caiado campaign team?

Federal congressman Arnaldo Jardim was announced as national mobilisation coordinator, while former minister Aldo Rebelo will head political coordination. Economist Cristiane Schmidt, president of MSGÁS — the natural gas company of Mato Grosso do Sul — was invited to contribute to the economic programme, though the campaign has not yet confirmed whether she has accepted.