New President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced on Thursday the names of the last ministers in his incoming government, including two women in symbolic positions, Marina Silva for the environment and Sonia Guajahara for the indigenous peoples portfolio, three days before the inauguration of the Brazilian president’s third term, AFP reported , reports Agerpres.

Sixteen ministers were appointed during the ceremony in Brasilia, bringing the portfolios of this major government to 37, compared to former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 23.

The future government is also characterized by diversity: eleven women and several ministers of African origin.

Thursday’s most symbolic nomination was Marina Silva, a 64-year-old black woman who also held the environment portfolio in Lula’s government from 2003 to 2008.

The ministry is crucial in the eyes of the international community, which has watched with concern the increase in deforestation in the Amazon under Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency and expects much from Lula.

The Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, also important for the preservation of the largest rainforest on the planet, was entrusted to 48-year-old Sonia Guajahara, a local leader who was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most powerful people in the world.

This ministry did not exist before, and its creation was one of the pre-election promises of the elected leftist president.

Another powerful woman was appointed to the Ministry of Planning: Simone Tebet, 52, a center-right senator who came third in the first round of the presidential election and lost her share of the vote to Lula in the October 30 runoff. a move that was seen as crucial to his victory.