José Sarney | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1985 | |
| 31st President of Brazil | |
| In office 15 March 1985 – 15 March 1990 Acting: 15 March 1985 – 21 April 1985 | |
| Vice President | None |
| Preceded by | João Figueiredo |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Collor de Mello |
| 20th Vice President of Brazil | |
| In office 15 March 1985 – 21 April 1985 | |
| President | Tancredo Neves (did not assume)[1] |
| Preceded by | Aureliano Chaves |
| Succeeded by | Itamar Franco |
| President of the Federal Senate | |
| In office 2 February 2009 – 1 February 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Garibaldi Alves Filho |
| Succeeded by | Renan Calheiros |
| In office 1 February 2003 – 14 February 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Ramez Tebet |
| Succeeded by | Renan Calheiros |
| In office 2 February 1995 – 4 February 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Humberto Lucena |
| Succeeded by | Antônio Carlos Magalhães |
| Senator forAmapá | |
| In office 1 February 1991 – 1 February 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Davi Alcolumbre |
| Senator forMaranhão | |
| In office 1 February 1971 – 15 March 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Vitorino de Brito Freire |
| Succeeded by | Américo de Souza |
| Governor of Maranhão | |
| In office 31 January 1966 – 14 May 1970 | |
| Vice Governor | Antônio Dino |
| Preceded by | Newton Bello |
| Succeeded by | Antônio Dino |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| In office 6 June 1955 – 31 January 1966 | |
| Constituency | Maranhão |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa (1930-04-24)24 April 1930 (age 95) |
| Party | PMDB (1985–present) |
| Other political affiliations | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Roseana,Fernando,José |
| Alma mater | Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA) |
| Signature |  |
José Sarney de Araújo Costa (Portuguese pronunciation:[ʒuˈzɛsaʁˈnejdʒiaɾaˈuʒuˈkɔstɐ]; bornJosé Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa; 24 April 1930) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer who served as the 31stpresident of Brazil from 1985 to 1990.[2] He briefly served as the 20thvice president of Brazil for a month between March and April 1985.
Sarney was a member of theChamber of Deputies from 1955 until 1966 and of theSenate from 1971 until 1985. He was also theGovernor of Maranhão from 1966 until 1970. During theBrazilian military dictatorship, Sarney affiliated himself with the government party,ARENA, becoming the president of the party in 1979. Sarney joined the dissenters, and was instrumental in the creation of theLiberal Front Party. Sarney ran for Vice-President on the ticket ofTancredo Neves ofPMDB, formerly the opposition party to the military government. Neves won the presidential election, but died before taking office, and Sarney became president.
During his presidency, Sarney implemented ambitious plans to try to reverse the severeinflation inherited fromJoão Figueiredo's government. Together with Finance MinisterDilson Funaro, he launched theCruzado Plan andCruzado II, which froze prices in an attempt to curb rising inflation. Even though both plans failed, Sarney made further attempts to freeze prices through theBresser Plan and theSummer Plan, which also proved ineffective. In foreign policy, he signed the Iguaçu Declaration, which initiated the project for the creation ofMercosur. Additionally, during his administration,diplomatic relations between Brazil and Cuba — which had been suspended since the beginning of the military dictatorship — were restored. Sarney also convened the1987 National Constituent Assembly, which drafted the1988 Brazilian Constitution, replacing the 1967 authoritarian constitution. Overall, Sarney started out his term with great popularity, but public opinion shifted with the Brazilian debt crisis and the failure of Plano Cruzado to abatechronic inflation. His government is seen today as disastrous andclientelism was widespread having longlasting consequences for the Brazilian Republic post military dictatorship.[3]
Following his presidency, Sarney resumed his senate career elected again in 1991 and serving until 2015. He also held the position ofPresident of the Federal Senate three times following his presidency. At age95, he is the oldest living former Brazilian president, and at the time of his retirement in 2015, had one of the longest congressional careers in Brazilian history.[4]
Born inPinheiro, Maranhão, as José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa, he was the son of Sarney de Araújo Costa, a wealthy land-owner and sugarcane producer, and Kiola Ferreira.[5] His family has origins inViseu in Portugal.[6] He attended Colégio Marista and the Licéu Maranhense before attending theFederal University of Maranhão.[7] In 1953, he graduated from the federal university receiving his bachelor's degree in law.[7] After his graduation, he launched a postmodernist literary journal titledA Ilha.[7]
In 1965 he legally adopted the name José Sarney de Araújo Costa, usually shortened to José Sarney, for electoral purposes.[8][7] He was known as "Zé do Sarney", as in "José, son of Sarney".[8][7] Sarney's father acquired the name after being born on a land owned by an Englishman named "Sir Ney".[7]
Sarney started his political career in the 1950s after becoming a replacement deputy and later as a federal deputy in 1955.[7][9] He was a member of the centre-rightNational Democratic Union (União Democrática Nacional—UDN), aligned with the progressive wing of the party.[9] He strongly supported so-called "Revolution of 1964", a military coup that overthrew leftist PresidentJoão Goulart in 1964.[9][7] After the military coup, Sarney followed most of the UDN into theNational Renewal Alliance (ARENA), the political party of the military government.[10] He was elected governor of the state ofMaranhão in 1966, serving until 1971.[10] He was then elected to theBrazilian Senate and became ARENA's president.[10]
Despite his support for the government's heavy-handed measures against dissent, Sarney had never been quite accepted by the military establishment, which tried to block his career.[11] In 1979 ARENA reorganized as theDemocratic Social Party (PDS), and Sarney remained the party's president.[12] In 1984, the junta was under pressure due to popular protests to reinstate direct elections for president (Diretas Já movement).[12] PDS was divided but launchedPaulo Maluf as its candidate for the presidency in indirect elections.[13]
Sarney disagreed with this decision and left PDS to form theLiberal Front Party, which then allied with the PMDB.[14] As part of the deal, Sarney becameTancredo Neves' running mate on the opposition ticket.[1] Neves won theelection of 15 January 1985, but became gravely ill the night before his inauguration.[1] Sarney assumed office as vice-president and acting president until Neves died on 21 April, and he formally became the first civilian president in 21 years.[1][15]
His succession raised some question because as Neves could not attend the inauguration ceremony on 15 March, several politicians contended at the time that Sarney should not have been inaugurated as vice-president and allowed to become acting president.[1] They believed that Sarney had been elected vice-president only by virtue of the election of his running mate as president.[1][16] Each member of the Electoral College cast one vote, for president, and the choice of president carried with it the automatic selection of the ticket's running mate as vice-president, Sarney could take office only as vice-president together with Neves.[1][16] Some critics argued that in the event of the head of the presidential ticket not being able to assume office, the presidential powers and duties should pass to the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies,Ulysses Guimarães.[9][16]
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There was some partisanship in this line of thought since both Neves and Guimarães were members of the same party, and Sarney was not.[9] He had been a supporter of the military, and only recently had joined the coalition to defeat the military's candidate in the electoral college.[9] The challenge to Sarney's inauguration was short-lived, however, because in the early hours of inauguration day, Guimarães himself stated that he believed that Sarney had the right to be inaugurated even without Neves, as the role of the vice-president was precisely that of replacing the president when needed.[16]
Sarney and the president ofArgentina,Raúl Alfonsín, started the process of creating acommon market between the two nations in 1985.[17] As first steps, they agreed to subsidize regional trade with a special currency for the purpose (theGaucho).[18] The agreement led to the formation of theMercosur in 1991.[19] He also oversaw constitutional amendments that purged the remaining vestiges of authoritarianism from the 1967/1969 Constitution.[3]
Sarney faced many problems: enormousforeign debt, rampant inflation and corruption as well as the transition to democracy.[3][7] During his presidency, the country had a 934% inflation rate and was overshadowed with union strikes and corruption scandals.[7] Sarney launched an economic plan to stabilize the economy, called "Plano Cruzado", successful at first.[20] The inflation worsened however under Sarney's Plano Cruzado.[20] A new, fully democratic constitution was promulgated in 1988, and in the following year,the first direct elections since 1960 were held.[3][7] Sarney was barred from running for president in his own right in that election.[3] In Brazil, whenever the vice president ascends as president, it counts as a full term. At the time, Brazilian presidents were barred from immediate re-election.
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Sarney supportedFernando Henrique Cardoso as presidential candidate in 1994 and 1998 andLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2002.[21][22] He returned to the Senate after his presidency, this time representingAmapá, and served as President of the Senate from 1995 to 1997, 2003 to 2005, 2009 to 2011, and 2011 to 2013.[23] He retired from politics in 2015 and was the longest-serving member of theBrazilian Congress at the time of his retirement.[4] His retirement was noted byThe New York Times as a "decline of a political dynasty" which would cause a political shift in the country.[4] All told, he spent all but 23 months in elected office from his first election as deputy in 1955 until his retirement from the Senate in 2015.
Sarney is regarded as the foremost of Brazil'soligarchs.[4] Sarney owns the most important newspapers and television stations in Maranhão.[24] Sarney has also faced multiple allegations ofnepotism and corruption in his career.[25] In 2009, the British weeklyThe Economist called his election asPresident of the Senate "a victory for semi-feudalism" and "a throwback to an era of semi-feudal politics that still prevails in corners of Brazil and holds the rest of it back."[26]Veja columnist Roberto Pompeu de Toledo deemed him "the perfectoligarch".[27]
Sérgio Machado, former president ofTranspetro, said in his plea agreement within theOperation Car Wash that Sarney received R$18.5 million of the bribe money from aPetrobras subsidiary, in the PMDB account during the period in which he directed the company (2003–2015).[28]
| Year | Election | Party | Office | Coalition | Partners | Party | Votes | Percent | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | State Election ofMaranhão | UDN | Governor | Allied Oppositions (UDN, PSP, PTN) | Antônio Dino | PSP | 121,062 | 53.63% | Elected | ||
| 1970 | State Election of Maranhão | ARENA | Senator | N/a | Odilo Costa Filho | ARENA | 236,618 | 42.35% | Elected | ||
| 1978 | State Election of Maranhão | N/a | Bello Parga | 409,633 | 64.16% | Elected | |||||
| 1985 | Presidential Election | MDB | Vice President | Democratic Alliance (PMDB, Liberal Front) | Tancredo Neves | MDB | 480 | 72.73% | Elected | ||
| 1990 | State Election ofAmapá | Senator | N/a | Paulo Guerra | MDB | 53,004 | 24.55 | Elected | |||
| Marcos Rocha | |||||||||||
| 1998 | State Election of Amapá | Fight Front (PMDB, PFL, PSDB, PPB, PL, PSL, PTB, PRONA, PMN, PSD) | Jorge Nova | MDB | 97,446 | 59.31% | Elected | ||||
| Salomão Alcolumbre | |||||||||||
| 2006 | State Election of Amapá | Union for Amapá (PDT, PP, PMDB, PSC, PV, PRONA) | Salomão Alcolumbre | MDB | 152,486 | 53.87% | Elected | ||||
| Jorge Nova | |||||||||||
In 1952, Sarney marriedMarly Macieira.[29] Their children are Congressman José Sarney Filho, GovernorRoseana Sarney, and the businessmanFernando Sarney.[29]
As a writer, his best known work is the poetry bookOs Marimbondos de Fogo ("The Fire Wasps").[30] Sarney was elected to a chair in theBrazilian Academy of Letters in 1980.[31]
In April 2012, Sarney was hospitalized and underwent anangioplasty.[32] In July 2021, he was hospitalized forpleural effusion and had a procedure to remove fluid from his lungs.[33]
In July 2023, Sarney was hospitalized after a fall and was diagnosed withcerebral ischemia.[34]
Below is a selected list of awards Sarney has received:[35]
| Ribbon bar | Honour | Date |
|---|---|---|
 | Grand Cross of theOrder of the Southern Cross | 1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office |
 | Grand Cross of theOrder of Rio Branco | 1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office |
 | Grand Cross of theOrder of Military Merit | 1995 – automatic upon taking presidential office |
_-_ribbon_bar.png) | Grand Cross of theOrder of Naval Merit | 1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office |
 | Grand Cross of theOrder of Aeronautical Merit | 1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office |
 | Grand Cross of the Order of Military Judicial Merit | 1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office |
_-_ribbon_bar.png) | Grand Cross of theNational Order of Merit | 1985 – automatic upon taking presidential office |
| Ribbon bar | Country | Honour |
|---|---|---|
 |  France | Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour |
 |  Italy | Medal of theSacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George |
 |  Norway | Grand Cross of theRoyal Norwegian Order of Merit |
 |  Peru | Grand Cross with diamonds of theOrder of the Sun of Peru |
 |  Portugal | Collar of theMilitary Order of Saint James of the Sword |
 | Portugal | Grand Cross of theOrder of Christ |
 | Portugal | Grand Cross of theOrder of Prince Henry |
 |  Romania | Grand Cross of theOrder of the Star of Romania |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Newton Bello | Governor of Maranhão 1966–1970 | Succeeded by Antônio Dino |
| Preceded by | Vice President of Brazil 1985 (de jure) | Vacant Title next held by Itamar Franco |
| Preceded by | President of Brazil 21 April 1985 – 15 March 1990 Acting: 15 March – 21 April 1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Tancredo Neves Elect | ||
| Preceded by Humberto Lucena | President of the Federal Senate 1995–1997 2003–2005 2009–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | ||
| Academic offices | ||
| Preceded by | 6th Academic of the 38th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters 6 November 1980–present | Incumbent |
| Old Republic (1889–1930) | |
|---|---|
| Populist Republic (1946–64) | |
| Military dictatorship (1964–85) | |
| New Republic (1985–present) | |
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