President Jair Bolsonaro swore in his new chief-of-staff Wednesday in a move to shore up congressional support for legislation, and also seen as aimed at stifling an impeachment push and scoring votes in Brazil's poorer northeast region.

After Bolsonaro tapped Sen. Ciro Nogueira to occupy the post last month, he described the position as his administration's "soul.″ pg2day Nogueira belongs to a centrist political bloc known for ideological malleability and the old-style politics of delivering support in exchange for positions — a practice Bolsonaro had vowed to his supporters that he would never embrace.

The conservative president drew closer to the so-called Centrao this year as his administration's pandemic response was targeted by a Senate committee's investigation, his popularity plunged ahead of his 2022 reelection bid and the opposition staged nationwide protests calling for his impeachment. He has said in recent days that he was part of the Centrao during his political career.

"I want to tell all of you, the arrival of Ciro Nogueira now is a demonstration by the government that ever more we want to deepen our relationship with Congress,″ he told attendees at the presidential palace. He added that the executive and legislative are effectively one government branch, since they rely on each other to implement most anything.