Fernando Collor de Mello
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President of Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office 15 March 1990 – 29 December 1992 Suspended: 2 October 1992 – 29 December 1992 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vice President | Itamar Franco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | José Sarney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Itamar Franco | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Rio de Janeiro, Federal District, Brazil | 12 August 1949||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | PRD (2023–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other political affiliations | See list
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Spouses | Celi Elisabete Júlia Monteiro de Carvalho
(m. 1975; div. 1981)Caroline Serejo Medeiros
(m. 2006) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent(s) | Arnon de Melo Leda Collor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Residence(s) | Maceió, Alagoas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | University of Brasília[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello (Brazilian Portuguese:
Fernando Collor was born into a political family. He is the son of the former Senator Arnon Affonso de Farias Mello and Leda Collor (daughter of former Labour Minister Lindolfo Collor, led by his father, former governor of Alagoas and proprietor of the Arnon de Mello Organization, a media conglomerate which manages the state-wide television station TV Gazeta de Alagoas, the affiliate of TV Globo in the state.) "Collor" is a Portuguese adaptation of the German surname Köhler, from his maternal grandfather Lindolfo Leopoldo Boeckel Collor.
Collor served as Senator for
Early career
Fernando Collor was born in August 12, 1949, to Leda Collor (1916-1995) and Arnon Afonso de Farias Mello (1911-1983), in a very affluent and politically well-connected family. His father was governor and later senator for the state of Alagoas. He has two brothers, Pedro and Leopoldo, and two sisters, Ledinha and Ana. His grandfather, Lindolfo Collor (1890-1942), was a direct descendent of some of the first German immigrants that arrived in Brazil in 1824. Despite being born in Rio de Janeiro, Fernando spent his childhood in the cities of Maceió, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília.[2]
Collor graduated in economic sciences, in 1972, at the Federal University of Alagoas. That same year, he become president of the Gazeta de Alagoas, a newspaper that was run by his family's media conglomerate. In 1975, he married his first wife Celi Elisabete Júlia Monteiro de Carvalho, with whom he had two children. He married a second time, with Rosane Malta (who would become the First Lady) in 1984. No children were born from this union. In 2006, he married Caroline Medeiros, with whom he would have two children. He also had a child born out of wedlock.[3]
Collor became president of Brazilian football club
During his term as governor, he attracted publicity by allegedly fighting high salaries for public servants, whom he labeled marajás (maharajas)[4] (likening them to the former princes of India who received a stipend from the government as compensation for relinquishing their lands). How well his policies reduced public expense is disputed, but the political position certainly made him popular in the country.[5] This helped boost his political career, with the help of television appearances in nationwide broadcasts (quite unusual for a governor from such a small state).
Despite achieving national prestige during his time as governor of Alagoas, while positioning himself as a anti-corruption and anti-establishment candidate for the presidency, corruption scandals followed him since the time he was mayor of Maceió. Before that, during the time he was a Federal Deputy in the National Congress, he was perceived as a very quiet politician, only proposing pieces of legislation that would benefit his family's businesses.[6]
Presidency (1990-1992)
In 1989 Collor defeated
The very day he took office, Collor launched the
Free trade, privatization and state reforms
Under Zélia's tenure as Brazil's Minister of Finances, the country had a period of major changes, featuring what
In the month before Collor took power, hyperinflation was at 90 percent per month and climbing. All accounts over 50,000 cruzeiros (about US$500 at that time), were frozen for several weeks. He also proposed freezes in wages and prices, as well as major cuts in government spending. The measures were received unenthusiastically by the people, though many felt that radical measures were necessary to kill the hyperinflation. Within a few months, however, inflation resumed, eventually reaching rates of 10 percent a month.
During the course of his government, Collor was accused of condoning an influence peddling scheme. The accusations weighed on the government and led Collor and his team to an institutional crisis leading to a loss of credibility that reached the finance minister, Zélia.[10]
This political crisis had negative consequences on his ability to carry out his policies and reforms.[12] The Plano Collor I, under Zélia would be renewed with the implementation of the Plano Collor II; the government's loss of prestige would make that follow-up plan short-lived and largely ineffective.[11] The failure of Zélia and Plano Collor I led to their substitution by Marcílio Marques Moreira and his Plano Collor II. Moreira's plan tried to correct some aspects of the first plan, but it was too late. Collor's administration was paralyzed by the fast deterioration of his image, through a succession of corruption accusations.[13]
During the Plano Collor, yearly inflation was at first reduced from 30,000 percent in 1990 (Collor's first year in government) to 400 percent in 1991, but then climbed back up to 1,020 percent in 1992 (when he left office).[14] Inflation continued to rise to 2,294 percent in 1994 (two years after he left office).[15] Although Zélia acknowledged later that the Plano Collor didn't end inflation, she also stated: "It is also possible to see with clarity that, under very difficult conditions, we promoted the balancing of the
Parts of Collor's free trade and
- Pedro Malan
- Renan Calheiros (PMDB-AL)
- Antônio Kandir (PSDB-SP)
- Pratini de Moraes
- Celso Lafer
- Reinhold Stephanes
- Armínio Fraga
- Pedro Parente
Luiz Carlos Bresser-Pereira, a minister in the previous Sarney and the following Fernando Henrique Cardoso administrations, stated that "Collor changed the political agenda in the country, because he implemented brave and very necessary reforms, and he pursued fiscal adjustments. Although other attempts had been made since 1987, it was during Collor's administration that old statist ideas were confronted and combated (...) by a brave agenda of economic reforms geared towards free trade and privatization."[18] According to Philippe Faucher, professor of political science at McGill University,[19] the combination of the political crisis and the hyperinflation continued to reduce Collor's credibility and in that political vacuum an impeachment process took place, precipitated by Pedro Collor's (Fernando Collor's brother) accusations and other social and political sectors which thought they would be harmed by his policies.[11]
Awards
In 1991, UNICEF chose three health programs: community agents, lay midwives and eradication of measles as the best in the world. These programs were promoted during Collor's administration. Until 1989, the Brazilian vaccination record, was considered the worst in South America. During Collor's administration, Brazil's vaccination program won a United Nations prize, as the best in South America. Collor's project Minha Gente (My People) won the UN award Project Model for the Humanity in 1993.
Corruption charges and impeachment
Fernando Collor de Mello | |
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Accused | Fernando Collor de Mello, President of Brazil |
Proponents |
|
Date | 1 September 1992 – 30 December 1992 (3 months, 4 weeks and 1 day) |
Outcome | Convicted by the Federal Senate, ineligible for 8 years |
Charges | High crimes and misdemeanors |
Cause |
|
Congressional votes | |
Voting in the Federal Senate | |
Accusation | Vote to suspend Collor from the Presidency |
Votes in favor | 67 |
Votes against | 3 |
Not voting | 11 |
Result | Collor suspended from office, Itamar Franco becomes Acting President |
Accusation | Vote to resume the impeachment process |
Votes in favor | 73 |
Votes against | 8 |
Result | Approved; process resumes, despite Collor's resignation |
Accusation | Vote to remove political right |
Votes in favor | 76 "guilty" |
Votes against | 3 "not guilty" |
Not voting | 2 |
Result | Convicted; Collor loses political right for 8 years |
In May 1992, Fernando Collor's brother
On 26 August 1992, the final congressional inquiry was approved 16–5. The report concluded that there was proof that Fernando Collor had had personal expenses paid for by money raised by
As a result, a petition to the Chamber of Deputies by citizens
The formal petition, submitted on 1 September 1992, began impeachment proceedings. The Chamber of Deputies set up a special committee on 3 September 1992 to study the impeachment petition. On 24 September 1992, the committee voted (32 votes in favour, one vote against, one abstention) to approve the impeachment petition and recommend that the full Chamber of Deputies accept the charges of impeachment. Under the Constitution of Brazil, the impeachment process required two thirds of the Chamber of Deputies to vote to allow the charges of impeachment to be escalated to the Senate. On 29 September 1992, Collor was impeached by the Chamber of Deputies, with more than two thirds of its members concurring. In the decisive roll call vote, 441 deputies voted for and 38 deputies voted against the admission of the charges of impeachment.[21]
On 30 September 1992, the accusation was formally sent from the Chamber of Deputies to the Senate, and proceedings for impeachment began in the upper house. The Senate formed a committee to examine the case file and determine whether all legal formalities had been followed. The Committee issued its report, recognizing that the charges of impeachment had been presented in accordance with the Constitution and the laws, and proposed that the Senate organize itself into a court of impeachment to conduct the trial of the president. On 1 October 1992, this report was presented on the floor of the Senate, and the full Senate voted to accept it and to proceed. That day the then-president of the Federal Supreme Court, Justice Sydney Sanches , was notified of the opening of the trial process in the Senate, and began to preside over the process. On 2 October 1992, Collor received a formal summons from the Brazilian Senate notifying him that the Senate had accepted the report, and that he was now a defendant in an impeachment trial. Per the Constitution of Brazil, upon receipt of that writ of summons, Collor's presidential powers were suspended for 180 days, and vice president Itamar Franco became acting president. The Senate also sent an official communication to the office of the vice-president to formally acquaint him of the suspension of the President, and to give him notice that he was now the acting president.
By the end of December, it was obvious that Collor would be convicted and removed from office by the Senate. In hopes of staving this off, Collor resigned on 29 December 1992 on the last day of the proceedings. Collor's resignation letter was read by his attorney in the floor of the Senate, and the impeachment trial was adjourned so that the Congress could meet in joint session, first to take formal notice of the resignation and proclaim the office of president vacant, and then to swear in Franco.
However, after the inauguration of Franco, the Senate resumed sitting as a court of impeachment with the president of the Supreme Court presiding. Collor's attorneys argued that with Collor's resignation, the impeachment trial could not proceed and should close without ruling on the merits. The attorneys arguing for Collor's removal, however, argued that the trial should continue, to determine whether or not the defendant should face the constitutional penalty of suspension of political rights for eight years. The Senate voted to continue the trial. It ruled that, although the possible penalty of removal from office had been rendered moot, the determination of the former President's guilt or innocence was still relevant because a conviction on charges of impeachment would carry with it a disqualification from holding public office for eight years. The Senate found that, since the trial had already begun, the defendant could not use his right to resign the presidency as a means to avoid a ruling.
Later, in the early hours of 30 December 1992, by the required two-thirds majority, the Senate found the former president guilty of the charges of impeachment. Of the 81 members of the Senate, 79 took part in the final vote: 76 Senators voted to convict the former president, and 3 voted to acquit. The penalty of removal from office was not imposed as Collor had already resigned, but as a result of his conviction the Senate barred Collor from holding public office for eight years. After the vote, the Senate issued a formal written opinion summarizing the conclusions and orders resulting from the judgement, as required by
In 1993, Collor challenged before the
In 1994, the Supreme Court tried the ordinary criminal charges stemming from the Farias corruption affair; the ordinary criminal accusation was presented by the Brazilian federal prosecution service (Ministério Público Federal). The Supreme Court had original jurisdiction under the Brazilian Constitution because Collor was one of the defendants and the charges mentioned crimes committed by a President while in office. If found guilty of the charges, the former president would face a jail sentence.
After his acquittal in the criminal trial, Collor again attempted to void the suspension of his political rights imposed by the Senate, without success, as the Supreme Court ruled that the judicial trial of the ordinary criminal charges and the political trial of the charges of impeachment were independent spheres. Collor thus only regained his political rights in 2000, after the expiration of the eight year disqualification imposed by the Brazilian Senate.[citation needed]
Collor's version of the impeachment
For several years after his removal from office, Collor maintained a website which has since been taken offline. In discussing the events surrounding the corruption charges, the former website stated: "After two and half years of the most intense investigation in Brazilian history, the Supreme Court of Brazil declared him innocent of all charges. Today he is the only politician in Brazil to have an officially clear record validated by an investigation by all interests and sectors of the opposition government. Furthermore, President Fernando Collor signed the initial document authorizing the investigation."[25]
Post-presidency
In 2000, Collor joined the
In 2006, Collor was elected to the
In 2014, Collor was re-elected to the Senate with 55% of the vote.[30]
On 20 August 2015, Collor was charged by the
In 2016, Collor abandoned PTB and joined the
In 2019, Collor left PTC and joined the Republican Party of the Social Order.
In 2022, Collor left the
In 2023, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court voted to convict Collor on charges of money laundering and corruption. He was accused of receiving R$30 million in bribes from Petrobras.[32]
Honour
Foreign honours
- Malaysia:
- Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (1991)[33]
- Portugal:
- Order of the Tower and Sword(1991)
- Spain:
- Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (10 May 1991)[34]
See also
References
- ^ "Fernando Afonso Collor de Mello - Biografia". UOL Educação.
- ^ Biography: LINDOLFO LEOPOLDO BOEKEL COLLOR, accessed in 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Fernando Collor de Melo". Brasilescola.uol.com.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ Solingen, Etel (1998). Regional Orders at Century's Dawn. p. 147.
- ^ Bezerra, Ada Kesea Guedes; Silva, Fábio Ronaldo. "O marketing político e a importância da imagem-marca em campanhas eleitorais majoritárias" (PDF). Biblioteca On-line de Ciências da Comunicação (in Portuguese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 May 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
- ^ "Relembre a trajetória de Fernando Collor". G1 (in Portuguese). Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ Chauí, Marilena (29 October 2010). "Um alerta". Carta Maior. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ Lattman-Weltman, Fernando. "29 de Setembro de 1992: o impeachment do Collor" [September 29, 1992: the impeachment of Collor]. Centro de Pesquisa e Documentação de História Contemporânea do Brasil. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007.
- ^ "A História do Plano Collor" [The History of the Collor Plan]. sociedadedigital.com.br. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010.
- ^ a b c "Zélia está voltando" [Zélia is returning]. ISTOÉ Dinheiro. 25 October 2006. Archived from the original on 28 October 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
- ^ .
- ^ "unopec.com.br" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 March 2009.
- ^ Matos, Heloiza (September 2001). "A Imagem Pública do Empresariado Nacional no Debate Sobre a Privatização Brasileira" [The Public Image of the National Business Sector in the Brazilian Privatization Debate] (PDF). www.portal-rp.com.br. Campo Grande: INTERCOM – Sociedade Brasileira de Estudos Interdisciplinares da Comunicação. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2007.
- ^ "The Hyperinflation in Brazil, 1980–1994". sjsu.edu. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2007.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Pimenta, Angela (27 June 2006). "Lula segue política econômica de FHC, diz diretor do FMI". BBC Brasil. British Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ A CONTINUIDADE DA POLÍTICA MACROECONÔMICA ENTRE O GOVERNO CARDOSO E O GOVERNO LULA: UMA ABORDAGEM SÓCIO-POLÍTICA[permanent dead link]
- ^ Silvando da Silva do Nascimento, Rangel. A POLÍTICA ECONÔMICA EXTERNA DO GOVERNO COLLOR: LIBERALIZAÇÃO COMERCIAL E FINANCEIRA Archived 26 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
- ^ "Philippe Faucher". McGill University. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008.
- ^ Rezende, Tatiana Matos. "UNE 70 Anos: "Fora Collor: o grito da juventude cara-pintada"". União Nacional dos Estudantes. Archived from the original on 3 September 2007. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
- ^ Lattman-Weltman, Fernando. September 29, 1992: Collor's Impeachment Archived 14 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine(in Portuguese) Fundação Getúlio Vargas. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
- ^ Imprensa Nacional – Visualização dos Jornais Oficiais[permanent dead link]. In.gov.br (31 December 1992). Retrieved on 12 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Fernando Collor é eleito senador por Alagoas". O Globo. Grupo Globo. 1 October 2006. Archived from the original on 24 December 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
- ^ "Como foi a ação contra Collor". O Globo. Grupo Globo. 18 April 2006. Archived from the original on 19 November 2007 – via Senado Federal.
- ^ Did You Know? Archived 21 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Percival Albano Nogueira Junior, José. Sentença de indeferimento do registro da candidatura de Fernando Collor à Prefeitura de São Paulo Jus Navigandi. 4 August 2000. Retrieved on 18 August 2007.
- ^ Simas Filho, Mário (13 September 2006). "Elle Voltou". ISTOÉ. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
- ^ "Após 14 anos de sua renúncia, Collor volta a Brasília como senador". Folha de S.Paulo. 10 October 2006. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
- ^ "Fernando Collor confirma pré-candidatura ao governo de Alagoas". O Globo. Grupo Globo. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ "Fernando Collor, PTB, é reeleito senador pelo estado de Alagoas". G1. Grupo Globo. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Brazil House Leader, Ex-President Hit With Corruption Charges". The New York Times. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
- ^ "Brazil's top court convicts ex-President Collor on money laundering, corruption". Reuters. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
- ^ "Senarai Penuh Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Persekutuan Tahun 1991" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
- ^ "Real Decreto 775/1991, de 10 de mayo". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
External links
- Fernando Collor - O Senador de Alagoas Archived 10 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine