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Ciro Gomes | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ciro in 2021 | |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| In office 1 February 2007 – 1 February 2011 | |
| Constituency | Ceará |
| Minister of National Integration | |
| In office 1 January 2003 – 31 March 2006 | |
| President | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
| Preceded by | Luciano Barbosa |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Brito |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 6 September 1994 – 31 December 1994 | |
| President | Itamar Franco |
| Preceded by | Rubens Ricupero |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Malan |
| Governor of Ceará | |
| In office 15 March 1991 – 6 September 1994 | |
| Vice Governor | Lúcio Alcântara |
| Preceded by | Tasso Jereissati |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Aguiar |
| Mayor of Fortaleza | |
| In office 1 January 1989 – 2 April 1990 | |
| Vice Mayor | Juraci Magalhães |
| Preceded by | Maria Luíza Fontenele |
| Succeeded by | Juraci Magalhães |
| State Deputy of Ceará | |
| In office 1 February 1983 – 31 December 1988 | |
| Constituency | At-large |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1957-11-06)6 November 1957 (age 68) Pindamonhangaba,São Paulo, Brazil |
| Political party | PSDB (since 2025) |
| Other political affiliations | |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Cid Gomes (brother) |
| Alma mater | Federal University of Ceará (LL.B.) |
| Profession | Lawyer, university professor, writer |
Ciro Ferreira GomesGOMM (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈsiɾufeˈʁe(j)ɾɐˈɡomis]; born 6 November 1957), knownmononymously asCiro, is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and academic. Ciro is currently affiliated with theBrazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).[1]
Born inSão Paulo but raised inCeará into a political family, Ciro began his political career at the age of 27 in 1984. Ciro was electedMayor of Fortaleza aged 30 in 1988 and was electedGovernor of Ceará at the age of 32 in 1990. During his tenure, Ciro was the most popular governor in the country.[2] HisViva Criança program that reduced infant mortality in Ceará by 32% was given an international award byUNICEF.[3] His success led to his appointment asMinister of Finance for a few months in late 1994 underPresidentItamar Franco, where he presided over the ongoingReal Plan that eventually stabilized the economy and endedhyperinflation.
Ciro ran forPresident of Brazil for thePopular Socialist Party (PPS) in1998 and2002, coming in third and fourth place. In both Ciro presented himself as critical ofFernando Henrique Cardosopresidency and attempted to be a centre-left alternative topetista candidateLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Following the election, Ciro was appointed by President Lula asMinister of National Integration, presiding over regional development and theinterbasin transfer of the São Francisco River. In2006, Ciro was electedfederal deputy forCeará. Ciro was expected to succeed Lula for the2010 election,[4][5] but Lula instead appointed Energy MinisterDilma Rousseff, a move he criticized.[6][7] Ciro coordinated her successful presidential campaigns,[8] but afterwards retired to the private sector.[9]
In2018, Ciro returned to politics after joining theDemocratic Labour Party, launching his long-awaited thirdcampaign for the presidency. Running on a platform that included apublic credit debt refinancing, aprogressive tax system withdividend tax,[10] increased funding for education and healthcare,[11] a federal agency defendingLGBTQ rights,[12] and aneo-Keynesian, re-industrializing platform,[13] he sought to portray himself as an alternative between Lula's appointeeFernando Haddad andright-wing candidateJair Bolsonaro. Thoughhe polled better than Haddad directly against Bolsonaro,[14] Ciro finished in third place. Following Bolsonaro's victory, many argued that Ciro would have won if he had been nominated by a centre-left coalition.[15] Ciro refused to endorse Haddad afterwards,[16] PT's offer to be his running mate,[17] and has opposed Lula's party within the Brazilian left.[18][19]
Described as having "one of the sharpest tongues in Brazilian politics", Ciro's public image has been characterized by his outspoken personality, receiving both praise and criticism.[14][20] Ciro was one of the mainopposers ofJair Bolsonaro's presidency, accusing Bolsonaro and his sons ofcriminal militia involvement.[21][22][23] Ciro was also critical ofMichel Temer'spresidency, characterizingDilma's impeachment as acoup.[24] He has also been critical of Lula's presidency, accusing him of enabling Dilma's impeachment through Temer andEduardo Cunha's appointments, and both of leading asocial liberal government that led to the current Brazilian recession and Bolsonaro's election.[25][26][27] Since joining PDT in 2015, Ciro has led a resurgence of PT's traditionalleft-wing nationalist opposition by PDT and the legacy ofGetúlio Vargas[28] andLeonel Brizola, receiving accusations of being aleft-wing populist. In the private sector, Ciro served as director for Brazilian rail company Transnordestina S/A and steelmakerCompanhia Siderúrgica Nacional,[9] and he is a best-selling author.[29]
Ciro was born inPindamonhangaba, São Paulo, the son of José Euclides Ferreira Gomes Filho and Maria José Ferreira Gomes in 1957. His family moved toSobral, Ceará in 1962. His father's family, theFerreira Gomes family, has been active in Ceará politics for several generations.
Ciro enrolled in the Law School of the Federal University of Ceará in 1976.[30] Ciro later recalled that within the student movements of the time, he was most closely affiliated with the Catholic Left.[31] Upon graduation, Ciro returned to the city ofSobral, to work for the local government as a municipal prosecutor.[32]
Ciro ran for office for the first time in 1982, as aState Deputy representingSobral, and won; he began his first term in February 1983.[33] Ciro attracted substantial media attention early on for his willingness to debate national political questions — including democracy, social reforms, and international relations — which he said other Ceará politicians ignored.[34] In 1985, Ciro also started teaching tax law as a professor at the University of Fortaleza.[35]
In 1988, Ciro was elected Mayor ofFortaleza, the capital of Ceará, and began his term the next year. As Mayor of Fortaleza, endorsed centre-left candidateMário Covas in the first round of the1989 presidential election and socialist candidateLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round.[36]
Ciro was elected the Governor ofCeará in 1990, at the age of 32, becoming the second youngest governor in the country at the time.[37] His efforts included policies to support small businesses and reduce bureaucracy.[38] He also cracked down on tax evasion, increasing state revenue. Ciro also ordered increased investments in education and in public health; by July 1992, aDatafolha poll found he was the most popular governor in Brazil, with a 74% approval rate,[39] andTime magazine listed him as one of the 100 most important emerging leaders on the world stage.[40]
One of his most high-profile achievements as governor was the construction of a 71-mile long water canal, the "Canal do Trabalhador." Northeastern Brazil suffered a series of droughts in 1991, 1992, and 1993; in 1993, Ciro managed to organize and complete the construction of the canal in only 3 months, successfully bringing water to the capital city of Fortaleza and thus preventing a water supply crisis.[41]
Ciro's public health program "Programa Viva Criança" was attributed with a 32% decrease in infant mortality in the state and was awarded the Maurice Paté prize byUNICEF.[3]
In 1994 he served as Minister of Finance in the administration ofItamar Franco for less than four months. This appointment came at a crucial time in Brazil's modern economic development, when theReal Plan was underway as an economic stabilization program to fight hyperinflation. Although his appointment occurred only 28 days prior to thepresidential election that year, his short stint overseeing the Real Plan was credited by some with helpingFernando Henrique Cardoso win after Cardoso campaigned on continuing the plan's implementation. However, Ciro would break with the Cardoso government in 1997.[42]
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A founding member of theBrazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) in 1988, Ciro would leave the party, which was originally centre-left, in 1997 following its right turn. Ciro would join theSocialist People's Party (PPS) in opposition to the Cardoso administration, and ran as a member of the party for president in1998 withRoberto Freire as his running mate. During the campaign, Ciro attempted to position himself as a left alternative toLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a staple of the Brazilian left who had run for president twice prior to 1998 as a member of theWorkers' Party (PT).
The centristBrazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB), a kingmaker in Brazilian politics, considered supporting his candidacy, but did not end up doing so.[43] In the end, Ciro came in third place in the first round, and won 11% of the vote (only the top two candidates advance to the second round). The sole state he won wasCeará, his home state. However, Cardoso was re-elected with a majority.
During the2002 presidential election, Ciro looked to be formidable, even passingPSDB candidateJosé Serra, the main centre-right candidate, at one point in the polls.[44] However, a series of gaffes, most notable a crass joke about his wifePatrícia Pillar,[45] led to his collapse in the polls, and Ciro came in fourth place in the first round, with 12% of the vote.[46] He supportedLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the 2002 election, and was ultimately chosen to be the Minister for National Integration in Lula's new government.[47] When the PPS' leadership voted to leave the governing coalition in December 2004 that propped up Lula's government, Ciro chose to remain in his post. As a result, the PPS removed him from the party leadership, and he decided to join theBrazilian Socialist Party (PSB) in 2005. In 2006 he was elected to theChamber of Deputies with 16.19% of the vote, the highest percentage ever achieved by a single candidate in a proportional election.[48]
He has been publicly critical of the efforts toimpeach Dilma Rousseff and prosecute Lula.[49]
Having passed on a presidential campaign in 2010, Ciro announced his long-awaited third bid for the presidency in the2018 presidential election as the candidate of the PDT. For the position of Vice President, Ciro choseKátia Abreu, a centre formerMinister of Agriculture, as his running mate.
Political analysts had widely speculated that, since Lula was legally barred from running for president (after his conviction for corruption, under Brazil's "Ficha Limpa" law), Ciro would attract many of Lula's supporters in the 2018 presidential election, and potentially unite a number of left and center-left political parties.[50] His main contender for the left vote wasFernando Haddad, the formerMayor of São Paulo, running as a member of theWorkers' Party (PT) with Lula's backing. Polling showed that Ciro would have performed better versus Bolsonaro in the second round than Haddad would have.
While Ciro polled competitively throughout most of the election, Lula's endorsement of Haddad rallied enough of his former voters to support Haddad.[51] As a result, Ciro finished in third place in the first round, only coming in first place in his home state ofCeará.
In the second round, Ciro announced his opposition to right-wing rivalJair Bolsonaro, who he describes as a "fascist" for his pro-military rule statements,[52] but did not formally endorse Haddad.[53] Following the election of Bolsonaro over Haddad, a number of major left figures including GovernorRui Costa ofBahia, a member of the PT, indicated they regret supporting Haddad over Ciro.[54]
Ciro Gomes ran for president for the fourth time in the2022 presidential election, finishing in fourth place.
Ciro has lived in Ceará for most of his life, graduating with a degree in law from theFederal University of Ceará.[55] He was a professor of tax law and constitutional law, and wrote three books on political economy: "No País dos Conflitos" ("In the Country of Conflicts", 1994); "O Próximo Passo – Uma Alternativa Prática ao Neoliberalismo" ("The Next Step - A Practical Alternative to Neoliberalism", 1995), co-authored with Harvard professorRoberto Mangabeira Unger; and "Um Desafio Chamado Brasil" ("A Challenge Called Brazil," 2002).
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He was also a visiting researcher atHarvard Law School.[56] He served in the private sector as the President ofTransnordestina S/A (a commodities transportation company in Northeastern Brazil), and on the Board of Directors ofCompanhia Siderúrgica Nacional.[57] Two of his four siblings (Cid Gomes andIvo Gomes), his father, and his uncle, have all been involved in Brazilian politics.
He was married to his first wife, politicianPatrícia Saboya, from 1983 to 1999, with whom he has three children: Lívia, Ciro and Yuri.[58] Like her husband, Patricia Saboya Gomes was also politically active in the Northeastern state ofCeara, including serving as a Federal Deputy and a Senator for the state; the two were seen as political allies. From 1999 to 2011, Ciro was married to Brazilian actressPatrícia Pillar.[59] In 2013, he began a relationship with Zara Castro, with whom he had his fourth child, Gael, in 2015.[60] Ciro is the godfather of his advisor Roberto Mangabeira Unger's eldest child, Gabriel.[61]
Since 2017, his girlfriend has been TV producer Giselle Bezerra; she was previously a dancer on the popular Brazilian TV showXuxa.[62]
| Election | Party | Office | Coalition | Running mate | First round | Second round | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||||
| 1982 Ceará state election | PDS | State deputy | - | - | 11,600 | - | - | - | Elected |
| 1986 Ceará state election | PMDB | State deputy | Pro-Change Coalition(PMDB, PDC, PCB, PCdoB) | - | 17,602 | - | - | - | Elected |
| 1988 Fortaleza mayoral election | Mayor | Coalition of Changes (PMDB, PMB) | Juraci Magalhães (PMDB) | 179,274 | 30.55 (#1) | - | - | Elected | |
| 1990 Ceará gubernatorial election | PSDB | Governor | Ceará Best Generation (PSDB, PDT, PTB, PDC, PSC, PCN) | Lúcio Alcântara (PDT) | 1,279,492 | 54.32 (#1) | - | - | Elected |
| 1998 Brazilian presidential election | PPS | President | Real and Fair Brazil | Roberto Freire (PPS) | 7,426,190 | 10.97 (#3) | - | - | Lost |
| 2002 Brazilian presidential election | President | Labour Front | Paulo Pereira da Silva (PDT) | 10,170,882 | 11.97 (#4) | - | - | Lost | |
| 2006 Ceará state election | PSB | Federal deputy | Ceará votes to grow (PSB / PT / PCdoB / PMDB / PRB / PP / PHS / PMN / PV) | - | 667,830 | 16.19 (#1) | - | - | Elected |
| 2018 Brazilian presidential election | PDT | President | Sovereign Brazil(PDT,AVANTE) | Kátia Abreu (PDT) | 13,344,371 | 12.47 (#3) | - | - | Lost |
| 2022 Brazilian presidential election | President | - | Ana Paula Matos (PDT) | 3,599,287 | 3.04 (#4) | - | - | Lost | |
He has written four books:
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Maria Luíza Fontenele | Mayor ofFortaleza 1989–1990 | Succeeded by Juraci Magalhães |
| Preceded by | Governor ofCeará 1991–1994 | Succeeded by Francisco Aguiar |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1994–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of National Integration 2003–2006 | Succeeded by Pedro Brito |
| Party political offices | ||
| New political party | PPS nominee forPresident of Brazil 1998,2002 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | PDT nominee forPresident of Brazil 2018,2022 | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
