Brazil nominates diplomat Forster as ambassador to the United States

Brazil's government on Tuesday sent to the Senate the nomination of career-diplomat Nestor Forster to be ambassador to the United States, ending a saga in which President Jair Bolsonaro tried to nominate his own son for the role. Forster, who is currently chargé d'affairs in the Washington embassy, still has to go through a hearing in the Senate's foreign relations committee and have his name approved in a voting session. Brazil's government said it does not expect any resistance to his nomination and had received positive feedback from the United States.

Bolsonaro had initially pushed for the nomination of his son Eduardo as ambassador but ultimately gave up on the idea amid a spat with his then-political party, known as the PSL. At one point, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would welcome Eduardo as ambassador. Friends with Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo -- who defends so-called anti-globalist ideas -- Forster has not had much public exposure in the past. He was Araujo's favorite to become an ambassador in Washington.