José Sarney de Araújo Costa (; born José Ribamar Ferreira de Araújo Costa; 24 April 1930) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer who served as 31st
president of Brazil
The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...
from 1985 to 1990. He briefly served as the 20th
vice president of Brazil
The Vice President of Brazil ( pt, Vice-Presidente do Brasil), officially the Vice President of the Federative Republic of Brazil (''Vice-Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil''), or simply the ''Vice President of the Republic'' (''Vice-P ...
for a month between April and May 1985.
Sarney was a member of the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
from 1955 until 1966 and of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from 1971 until 1985. He was also the
Governor of Maranhão from 1966 until 1970. During the
Brazilian military dictatorship
The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dict ...
, Sarney affiliated himself with the government party,
ARENA
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
, becoming the president of the party in 1979. Sarney joined the dissenters, and was instrumental in the creation of the
Liberal Front Party
The Democrats ( pt, Democratas, DEM) was a centre-right political party in Brazil that merged with the Social Liberal Party to found the Brazil Union in 2021. It was founded in 1985 under the name of Liberal Front Party (''Partido da Frente Libe ...
.
Sarney ran for Vice-President on the ticket of
Tancredo Neves
Tancredo de Almeida Neves () (4 March 1910 – 21 April 1985) was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and entrepreneur. He served as Minister of Justice and Interior Affairs from 1953 to 1954, Prime Minister from 1961 to 1962, Minister of Financ ...
of
PMDB
The Brazilian Democratic Movement ( pt, Movimento Democrático Brasileiro, MDB) is a Brazilian political party. It is considered a "big tent party" and it is one of the parties with the greatest representation throughout the national territory, ...
, formerly the opposition party to the military government. Neves won the presidential election, but fell ill and died before taking office, and Sarney became President. He started out his term with great popularity, but public opinion shifted with the Brazilian debt crisis and the failure of Plano Cruzado to abate
chronic inflation
Chronic inflation is an economic phenomenon occurring when a country experiences high inflation for a prolonged period (several years or decades) due to continual increases in the money supply among other things. In countries with chronic infla ...
. His government is seen today as disastrous and clientelism was widespread having longlasting consequences for the Brazilian Republic post military dictatorship.
[
Following his presidency, Sarney resumed his senate career elected again in 1991 and serving until 2015. He also held the position of President of the Federal Senate three times following his presidency. At age , 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.][
]
Early life
Born in Pinheiro, 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. His family has origins in Viseu
Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the district of the same name, with a population of 100,000 inhabitants, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões intermunipical community, with 267,633 inhabita ...
in Portugal. He attended Colégio Marista and the Licéu Maranhense before attending the Federal University of Maranhão
The Federal University of Maranhão ( pt, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, UFMA) is a federal university in the northeastern state of Maranhão, Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), ...
.[ In 1953, he graduated from the federal university receiving his bachelor's degree in law.][ After his graduation, he launched a postmodernist literary journal titled ''A Ilha''.][
In 1965 he legally adopted the name José Sarney de Araújo Costa, usually shortened to José Sarney, for electoral purposes.] He was known as "Zé do Sarney", as in "José, son of Sarney".[ Sarney's father acquired the name after being born on a land owned by an Englishman named "Sir Ney".][
]
Political career
Early activities
Sarney started his political career in the 1950s after becoming a replacement deputy and later as a federal deputy in 1955. He was a member of the centre-right National Democratic Union (União Democrática Nacional—UDN), aligned with the progressive wing of the party.[ He strongly supported so-called "Revolution of 1964", a military coup that overthrew leftist President ]João Goulart
João Belchior Marques Goulart (1 March 1919 – 6 December 1976), commonly known as Jango, was a Brazilian politician who served as the 24th president of Brazil until a military coup d'état deposed him on 1 April 1964. He was considered the ...
in 1964.[ After the military coup, Sarney followed most of the UDN into the ]National Renewal Alliance
The National Renewal Alliance (Portuguese: ''Aliança Renovadora Nacional'', ARENA) was a far-right political party that existed in Brazil between 1966 and 1979. It was the official party of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 ...
(ARENA), the political party of the military government. He was elected governor of the state of Maranhão
Maranhão () is a state in Brazil. Located in the country's Northeast Region, it has a population of about 7 million and an area of . Clockwise from north, it borders on the Atlantic Ocean for 2,243 km and the states of Piauí, Tocantins and ...
in 1966, serving until 1971.[ He was then elected to the ]Brazilian Senate
The Federal Senate ( pt, Senado Federal) is the upper house of the National Congress of Brazil. When created under the Imperial Constitution in 1824, it was based on the House of Lords of the British Parliament, but since the Proclamation ...
and became ARENA's president.[
]
Vice presidency
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. In 1979 ARENA reorganized as the Democratic Social Party
The Democratic Social Party ( pt, Partido Democrático Social, PDS) was a conservative Brazilian political party.
It was established in 1979 as a continuation of the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA), the political wing of the military during th ...
(PDS), and Sarney remained the party's president. In 1984, the junta was under pressure due to popular protests to reinstate direct elections for president (Diretas Já
Diretas Já (, ''Direct (Elections) Now'') was a civil unrest movement which, in 1984, demanded direct presidential elections in Brazil.
Participants of the movement
The movement brought together diverse elements of Brazilian society. Participa ...
movement).[ PDS was divided but launched ]Paulo Maluf
Paulo Salim Maluf (; born 3 September 1931) is a Brazilian politician with a career spanning over four decades and many functions, including those of State Governor of São Paulo, Mayor of the City of São Paulo, Congressman and Presidential cand ...
as its candidate for the presidency in indirect elections.
Sarney disagreed with this decision and left PDS to form the Liberal Front Party
The Democrats ( pt, Democratas, DEM) was a centre-right political party in Brazil that merged with the Social Liberal Party to found the Brazil Union in 2021. It was founded in 1985 under the name of Liberal Front Party (''Partido da Frente Libe ...
, which then allied with the PMDB. As part of the deal, Sarney became Tancredo Neves
Tancredo de Almeida Neves () (4 March 1910 – 21 April 1985) was a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and entrepreneur. He served as Minister of Justice and Interior Affairs from 1953 to 1954, Prime Minister from 1961 to 1962, Minister of Financ ...
' running mate on the opposition ticket. Neves won the election of 15 January 1985, but became gravely ill the night before his inauguration.[ 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.][
]
Presidency
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.[ They believed that Sarney had been elected vice-president only by virtue of the election of his running mate as president.][ 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.] 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
Ulysses Silveira Guimarães ( October 6, 1916 – October 12, 1992) was a Brazilian politician and lawyer who played an important role in opposing the military dictatorship in Brazil and in the fight to restore democracy in the country. He died i ...
.[
There was some partisanship in this line of thought since both Neves and Guimarães were members of the same party, and Sarney was not.][ 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.][ 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.][
Sarney and the president of ]Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...
, started the process of creating a common market
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
between the two nations in 1985. As first steps, they agreed to subsidize regional trade with a special currency for the purpose (the Gaucho
A gaucho () or gaúcho () is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. The figure of the gaucho is a folk symbol of Argentina, Uruguay, Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and the south of Chilean Patagonia. Gauchos became greatly admired and ...
). The agreement led to the formation of the Mercosur
The Southern Common Market, commonly known by Spanish abbreviation Mercosur, and Portuguese Mercosul, is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full members are Argentina ...
in 1991. He also oversaw constitutional amendments that purged the remaining vestiges of authoritarianism from the 1967/1969 Constitution.
He faced many problems: enormous foreign debt
A country's gross external debt (or foreign debt) is the liabilities that are owed to nonresidents by residents. The debtors can be governments, corporations or citizens. External debt may be denominated in domestic or foreign currency. It incl ...
, rampant inflation and corruption as well as the transition to democracy.[ During his presidency, the country had a 934% inflation rate and was overshadowed with union strikes and corruption scandals.][ Sarney launched an economic plan to stabilize the economy, called "Plano Cruzado", successful at first.] The inflation worsened however under Sarney's Plano Cruzado.[ A new, fully democratic constitution was promulgated in 1988, and in the following year, the first direct elections since 1960 were held.][ Sarney was barred from running for president in his own right in that election.][
]
Post-presidency
He supported Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 31 December 2002. He was the first Brazi ...
as presidential candidate in 1994 and 1998 and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party, ...
in 2002. He returned to the Senate after his presidency, this time representing Amapá
Amapá () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is in the northern region of Brazil. It is the second least populous state and the eighteenth largest by area. Located in the far northern part of the country, Amapá is bordered clockwise by Fr ...
, and served as President of the Senate from 1995 to 1997, 2003 to 2005, 2009 to 2011, and 2011 to 2013. He retired in 2015 from politics and was the longest-serving member of the Brazilian Congress
The National Congress of Brazil ( pt, Congresso Nacional do Brasil) is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government. Unlike the state legislative assemblies and municipal chambers, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Sena ...
at the time of his retirement. His retirement was noted by ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' as a "decline of a political dynasty" which would cause a political shift in the country.[ All told, he spent all but two years out of office from 1955 to 2015.
Sarney is regarded as the foremost of Brazil's ]oligarchs
Oligarch may refer to:
Authority
* Oligarch, a member of an oligarchy, a power structure where control resides in a small number of people
* Oligarch (Kingdom of Hungary), late 13th–14th centuries
* Business oligarch, wealthy and influential bu ...
.[ Sarney owns the most important newspapers and television stations in Maranhão. Sarney has also faced multiple allegations of ]nepotism
Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
and corruption in his career. In 2009, the British weekly ''The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...
'' called his election as President of the Senate
President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies.
The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for e ...
"a victory for semi-feudalism
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
" and "a throwback to an era of semi-feudal politics that still prevails in corners of Brazil and holds the rest of it back." ''Veja Veja may refer to :
Places
* Veja, a town in Lazio, central Italy; now Vejano comune
* Veja, a village in Stănița Commune, Neamț County, Romania
* Veja River, Romania
* Veja State, a former princely state in present Gujarat, western India
Perso ...
'' columnist Roberto Pompeu de Toledo deemed him "the perfect oligarch".
Sérgio Machado, former president of Transpetro
Petrobras Transporte S.A. (Transpetro) is the largest oil and gas transportation company of Brazil. Transpetro works with transportation and storage activities of oil and byproducts, ethanol, biofuels and natural gas. It is responsible for a net ...
, said in his plea agreement within the Operation Car Wash
Operation Car Wash ( pt, Operação Lava Jato) was a criminal investigation by the Federal Police of Brazil's Curitiba branch. It began in March 2014 and was initially headed by investigative judge in France, but unlike judges in the common law ...
that Sarney received R$18.5 million of the bribe money from a Petrobras
Petróleo Brasileiro S.A., better known by the portmanteau Petrobras (), is a state owned enterprise, state-owned Brazilian multinational corporation in the petroleum industry headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The company's name transla ...
subsidiary, in the PMDB account during the period in which he directed the company (2003–2015).
Personal life
In 1952, Sarney married Marly Macieira. Their children are Congressman José Sarney Filho, Governor Roseana Sarney
Roseana Sarney Murad (born 1 June 1953) is a Brazilian politician and sociologist. She was the governor of the Brazilian state of Maranhão from 1995 to 2002 and again from 2009 to 2014. She is a member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Part ...
, and the businessman Fernando Sarney
Fernando José Macieira Ferreira Araújo da Costa Sarney (born 7 January 1956) is a Brazilian football administrator and a member of the FIFA Council.
Personal life and career
He is the son of the former President of Brazil José Sarney.
In 200 ...
.[
As a writer, his best known work is the poetry book ''Os Marimbondos de Fogo'' ("The Fire Wasps"). Sarney was elected to a chair in the ]Brazilian Academy of Letters
The Academia Brasileira de Letras (ABL) ( English: ''Brazilian Academy of Letters'') is a Brazilian literary non-profit society established at the end of the 19th century. The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on Tue ...
in 1980.
In April 2012, Sarney was hospitalized and underwent cardiac surgery. In July 2021, he was hospitalized for pleural effusion
A pleural effusion is accumulation of excessive fluid in the pleural space, the potential space that surrounds each lung.
Under normal conditions, pleural fluid is secreted by the parietal pleural capillaries at a rate of 0.6 millilitre per kilog ...
and had a procedure to remove fluid from his lungs.
Awards and decorations
Below is a selected list of awards Temer has received:
National honours
Foreign honours
Notes
References
External links
*
See also
*List of presidents of Brazil
The president of the Federative Republic of Brazil is the chief executive of the government of Brazil and commander in chief of the national military forces. Below is a list of presidents of Brazil.
Brazil before the Proclamation of the Republi ...
*History of Brazil (1964-present)
The military dictatorship in Brazil ( pt, ditadura militar) was established on 1 April 1964, after a coup d'état by the Brazilian Armed Forces, with support from the United States government, against President João Goulart. The Brazilian dict ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarney, Jose
1930 births
Living people
People from Maranhão
Brazilian people of Portuguese descent
National Democratic Union (Brazil) politicians
National Renewal Alliance politicians
Democratic Social Party politicians
Democrats (Brazil) politicians
Brazilian Democratic Movement politicians
Presidents of Brazil
Vice presidents of Brazil
Presidents of the Federal Senate (Brazil)
Governors of Maranhão
20th-century Brazilian lawyers
Brazilian columnists
Members of the Brazilian Academy of Letters
Candidates for Vice President of Brazil