Brazil's President-elect and leader of the Workers' Party (PT), who will take office on January 1, announced on Friday that Senator Jean-Paul Prates would be the new president of the state-owned Brazilian Petroleum Corporation (Petrobras).
Lula da Silva said through his social networks that Prates, a lawyer and economist specializing in energy, will be in charge of "leading the company into a great future."
The Petrobras president-designate, also a former secretary of Energy and International Affairs of Rio Grande do Nort, said on social networks, "I am very honored by President Lula's indication that I am responsible for leading a company that belongs to all Brazilians."
According to Prates, the multinational needs to reconcile its character as a mixed economy company and its structure in the Brazilian economy. During the administration of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro, the senator criticized the management and pricing policy of the state-owned company.
I would like to announce the nomination of Jean-Paul Prates for the presidency of Petrobras. Lawyer, economist and expert in the energy sector to guide the company toward a great future.
This is the International Price Parity (PIP), which links the price of fuel in the domestic market to prices in the foreign market. Lula da Silva has said he intends to modify the policy that has been blamed for Brazil's rise in fuel prices during the Bolsonaro administration.
"Jean-Paul Prates has been participating in struggles in defense of Petrobras, besides having a critical view of the Parity Price (PPI)," said the general coordinator of the Single Federation of Petroleum Workers (FUP), Deyvid Bacelar.
The official welcomed the President-elect's determination and added that Lula brings "a flame of hope, sustained by the commitment of this new government to the Brazilian people and national sovereignty."