Facing criticism, Brazil's Bolsonaro restores Ministry of Communications

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro gestures before a national flag hoisting ceremony in front of Alvorada Palace, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Brasilia, Brazil June 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adriano Machado

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has decided to recreate the defunct Ministry of Communications as he faces criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The right-wing leader announced on his Facebook account late on Wednesday that he was preparing a decree reopening the ministry that had been closed by the previous government in 2016 and placed under the science and technology portfolio.