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→‎Presidency: realign. We should have whatever is related to the impeachment under the impeachment heading, no?
→‎Collor´s initiatives: privatization, free trade and the end of hyper-inflation: June 1994 is when the Real Plan started. Collor left at the end of 1992 and with him, Zélia. We need another source
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Collor´s neoliberal program was then followed by his successors <ref> [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:Auxn1Bfi2PkJ:www.iedi.org.br/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm%3F2%3D217%26sid%3D77%261%3D43%26infoid%3D1749+fernando+henrique+segue+governo+collor&hl=pt-BR&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=br] "Tais políticas - iniciadas com a abertura do governo Collor - foram continuadas por Fernando Henrique Cardoso e Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, segundo economistas e industriais ouvidos pela Folha" </ref> [[Fernando Henrique Cardoso]] and [[Lula da Silva]] <ref> [http://www.bbc.co.uk/portuguese/reporterbbc/story/2006/06/060626_lulafhcpimenta.shtml Lula segue política econômica de FHC, diz diretor do FMI] {{pt icon}}</ref> who maintained free trade and privatization programs.<ref> [https://www.planalto.gov.br/publi_04/COLECAO/fase2.htm Programa Nacional de Desestatização] {{pt icon}}</ref> Collor's administration began the process of [[privatization]] of a number of government-owned enterprises such as ''[[Acesita]]'', ''[[Embraer]]'', ''[[Telebrás]]'' and ''[[Companhia Vale do Rio Doce]]''.<ref>[http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0034-71402005000200001&script=sci_arttext Os efeitos da privatização sobre o desempenho econômico e financeiro das empresas privatizadas] {{pt icon}}</ref> With the exception of Acesita, the privatizations were all completed during the term of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.
Collor´s neoliberal program was then followed by his successors <ref> [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:Auxn1Bfi2PkJ:www.iedi.org.br/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm%3F2%3D217%26sid%3D77%261%3D43%26infoid%3D1749+fernando+henrique+segue+governo+collor&hl=pt-BR&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=br] "Tais políticas - iniciadas com a abertura do governo Collor - foram continuadas por Fernando Henrique Cardoso e Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, segundo economistas e industriais ouvidos pela Folha" </ref> [[Fernando Henrique Cardoso]] and [[Lula da Silva]] <ref> [http://www.bbc.co.uk/portuguese/reporterbbc/story/2006/06/060626_lulafhcpimenta.shtml Lula segue política econômica de FHC, diz diretor do FMI] {{pt icon}}</ref> who maintained free trade and privatization programs.<ref> [https://www.planalto.gov.br/publi_04/COLECAO/fase2.htm Programa Nacional de Desestatização] {{pt icon}}</ref> Collor's administration began the process of [[privatization]] of a number of government-owned enterprises such as ''[[Acesita]]'', ''[[Embraer]]'', ''[[Telebrás]]'' and ''[[Companhia Vale do Rio Doce]]''.<ref>[http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0034-71402005000200001&script=sci_arttext Os efeitos da privatização sobre o desempenho econômico e financeiro das empresas privatizadas] {{pt icon}}</ref> With the exception of Acesita, the privatizations were all completed during the term of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

As a result of Collor's reforms, inflation reached 50 percent per month by June 1994 and averaged 31.2 percent a month in 1994, for total of 2,294.0 percent that year.<ref>[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+br0009)''Library of Congress Country Studies''] {{pt icon}}</ref>


[[Image:Collor01022007.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Collor de Mello, recent image]]
[[Image:Collor01022007.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Collor de Mello, recent image]]

Revision as of 19:10, 19 August 2007

Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello
File:Fernando collor.jpg
36th President of Brazil
In office
March 15, 1990 – October 2, 1992
Vice PresidentItamar Franco
Preceded byJosé Sarney
Succeeded byItamar Franco
Personal details
BornAugust 12, 1949 (age 57)
Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro
NationalityBrazilian
Political partyNational Renewal Alliance Party (1979-82), Democratic Social Party (1982-86), Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (1986-89), National Reconstruction Party (1989-93), Brazilian Labour Renewal Party (2000-2007), Brazilian Labour Party (current)
SpouseRosane Collor de Mello

Fernando Affonso Collor de Mello, pron. IPA: [fex'nɐ͂du a'fõsu 'kɔlɔx dʒi 'mɛlu], (born August 12, 1949) was president of Brazil from 1990 to 1992 . He was elected a Senator of the republic in the 2006 general elections and began his term in February 2007. The son of Arnon Afonso de Farias Melo and Leda Collor de Mello, Collor was born in a political family, led by his father, a journalist and former governor of Alagoas.

Early career

He became the president of Brazilian football club Centro Sportivo Alagoano (CSA) in 1976. Backed by his good looks and popularity, he entered politics, successively mayor of Alagoas' capital Maceió in 1979 (National Renewal Alliance Party (ARENA)), a federal deputy (Democratic Social Party (PDS)) in 1982, and eventually governor of the state of Alagoas (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB)) in 1986.

During his term as governor he attracted a lot of publicity by allegedly fighting the payment of super-salaries to public servants, whom he termed maharajas (likening them to the former princes of India who received a stipend from the government as compensation for relinquishing their lands). The efficacy of his policies in reducing public expense is disputed, but it certainly made him popular over the country [1]. 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).

Presidency

In 1989 Collor defeated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a two round presidential race and 35 million votes. He won in the state of Sao Paulo against many prominent political figures. The first democratically elected President of Brazil in 29 years, Collor spent the early years of his government allegedly battling inflation, which at times reached rates of 25% per month.

Shortly after taking office, Collor launched the Collor Plan, implemented by his finance minister Zelia Cardoso de Mello. The Plan attempted to reduce the money supply by forcibly converting large portions of consumer bank accounts into non-cashable government bonds, while at the same time increasing the printing of money bills, a contradictory measure to combat hyper-inflation[This quote needs a citation].

Collor´s initiatives: privatization, free trade and the end of hyper-inflation

Under Zélia´s tenure, Brasil had an unprecedented period of major changes, featuring "a revolution" [2] in many levels of public administration: privatization, opening its market for a free trade for the first time in the country´s history [3], technological and industrial modernization, end of the hyper-inflation and public debt reduction [4].

In the month before Collor took power, the hyperinflation was 84% monthly and growing. All accounts over 50,000 cruzeiros (about US$1,300 at that time), were frozen for 18 months. 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 hyper-inflation which was above 50% monthly. Within a few months, however, inflation resumed, eventually reaching rates of 25% per month. Even so, Brazil never had hyperinflation again, after Collor took office.

Although Zelia acknowledges that Plano Collor didn´t end inflation, she states: "It is also possible to see with clarity that, under very difficult conditions, we promoted the equalization of the national debt --and that, together with the commercial opening, it created the bases for the implantation of Plano real" [5].

Collor´s neoliberal program was then followed by his successors [6] Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Lula da Silva [7] who maintained free trade and privatization programs.[8] Collor's administration began the process of privatization of a number of government-owned enterprises such as Acesita, Embraer, Telebrás and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce.[9] With the exception of Acesita, the privatizations were all completed during the term of Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Collor de Mello, recent image

Corruption charges and impeachment

In May 1991, Fernando Collor was accused by his brother, Pedro Collor, of corruption, by condoning an influence peddling scheme run by his campaign treasurer, Paulo César Farias. The Federal Police and Congress began an investigation soon after. Some months later, with the investigation progressing and under fire, Collor went on national television to ask for the people's support, by going out on the street and protesting against "coup" forces. On August 11, 1992, students organized by the National Student Union (União Nacional dos Estudantes - UNE), thousands of students protested on the streets against Collor. Their faces, often painted in a mixture of the colors of the flag and protest-black, lead to them being called "Caras-pintada".[10]

On August 26, 1992, the final congressional inquiry report was released, where it was proven that Fernando Collor had personal expenses paid for by money raised by Paulo César Farias through his influence peddling scheme. Impeachment proceedings were installed in the lower house of congress on September 29, 1992. Collor was impeached, and subsequently removed from office by a vote of 441 for and 38 votes against.[11] Fernando Collor resigned his term in office just before the Brazilian Senate was to vote for his impeachment. The Senate did so anyways and suspended his political rights for eight years. In 1994, the Supreme Federal Tribunal ruled he was not guilty of charges of corruption, but did not reinstate his political rights.[12].


Post-presidency

In 2006, 14 years after his resignation and with political rights restored, Collor was elected to the Brazilian senate (44,03% votes), representing his state, Alagoas [13].

References