Brazil President-elect completes cabinet

Ricardo de Aquino Salles, a 43-year-old lawyer, recently won the backing of the ruralists, one of Congress’ most powerful lobby groups.

Mr. Salles served as the Environment Secretary of Sao Paulo state under the leadership of former Gov. Geraldo Alckmin.

Earlier, electoral authorities confirmed that Jair Bolsonaro, 63, would become Brazil’s President after winning in the runoff on October 28th.

With 94% of the ballots counted, Jair Bolsonaro had 56% of the votes in the runoff election against left-wing hopeful Fernando Haddad of the Workers Party, who had 44%, according to the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court.

In an acceptance address in which he vowed to carry out his campaign promises to stamp out corruption after years of leftist rule, Mr Bolsonaro said: "We cannot continue flirting with communism.”

"We are going to change the destiny of Brazil."

Mr. Bolsonaro pledged to reform government finances and reorient diplomatic relations. He added that he would begin a virtuous cycle of lower deficits, shrinking public debts and lower interest rates. Jair Bolsonaro also pledged to align Brazil with more advanced countries that can offer the benefits of trade and technology.

Jair Bolsonaro won the first round of the election earlier this month, but failed to avoid a runoff./.