Luiz Fernando Pezão

Luiz Fernando Pezão
62nd Governor of Rio de Janeiro
Incumbent
Assumed office 4 April 2014
Vice Governor	Francisco Dornelles
Preceded by	Sérgio Cabral
Vice Governor of Rio de Janeiro
In office 1 January 2007 – 3 April 2014
Governor	Sérgio Cabral
Preceded by	Luiz Paulo Conde
Succeeded by	Francisco Dornelles
6th Mayor of Piraí
In office 1 January 1997 – 1 January 2005
Preceded by	Arthur Henrique Tutuca
Succeeded by	Arthur Henrique Tutuca
Personal details
Born	(1958-03-29) 29 March 1958 Piraí, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Political party	MDB
Spouse	Maria Lúcia Jardim

Luiz Fernando de Souza, commonly known as Luiz Fernando Pezão or even Pezão (English: Bigfoot) (born 29 March 1958) is an entrepreneur, politician and the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro. He was succeeded by interim Governor Francisco Dornelles on 28 March 2016.

Pezão has a degree in Administration and became a politician in the 1980s, as councillor of Piraí. He then served two times as mayor of the town.

In 2006, Pezão was chosen by Sérgio Cabral, then candidate to the governorship of Rio de Janeiro, to be his running mate. They won the election and Pezão took office as Vice Governor and State Secretary of Public Works simultaneously.

He assumed the office of governor due to the resignation of Sérgio Cabral, that at the time had plans to run for the senate).

Pezão is a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement, one of the most powerful political parties of the country.

He was reelected governor in the 2014 gubernatorial election, running against former governor Anthony Garotinho, and the senators Lindberg Farias and Marcelo Crivella.

References

• Profile of the Governor of Rio de Janeiro