Ronaldo Cunha Lima (18 March 1936 – 7 July 2012) was a Brazilian poet and politician. He served as the Governor of

Paraíba Paraíba ( Tupi: ''pa'ra a'íba''; ) is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba ...

from 1991 to 1994.

Early life

Cunha Lima was born on 18 March 1936, in

Guarabira Guarabira is a municipality in the state of Paraíba in the Northeast Region of Brazil. It is located at around . It was founded in 1837. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarabira The Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarabira ( la ...

, Brazil. He moved with his family to the city of

Campina Grande Campina Grande is the second most populous Brazilian city in the State of Paraíba after João Pessoa, the capital. It is considered to be the most important city of the Northeastern Brazilian subregion called '' agreste''. It is considered one ...

, in Brazil's northeast, when he was young. He received a legal from the

Federal University of Paraíba Federal University of Paraíba ( pt, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, UFPB) is a public university whose main campus is located in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil. Along with Federal University of Campina Grande, they're the main u ...

, serving as Vice President of a political, student organization called Centro Estudantil Campinense while attending the university.

Political career

A notorious incident occurred while Cunha Lima was Governor, following an incident where former Governor Tarcísio Burity accused Cunha Lima's son Cássio Cunha Lima of corruption with respect to siphoning off money to be used for drought relief. On 5 November 1993, Governor Cunha Lima entered the Gulliver Restaurant in João Pessoa and shot his predecessor, former Governor Burity, twice while Burity was eating. Burity spent days in a coma, but eventually recovered. After hours of being jailed, Cunha Lima was greeted on his balcony by a large crowd of fans that supported him defending his family's honor. A few days after the shooting, the city council of

presented Cunha Lima with a medal of merit.

Death

Cunha Lima died of complications from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

at his family's home in João Pessoa, Brazil, on 7 July 2012, at the age of 76. A public viewing was held at the Palácio da Redenção. He was buried in the Monte Santo cemetery. Survivors included his son, Senator Cássio Cunha Lima.

References

1936 births 2012 deaths Governors of Paraíba Brazilian male poets Brazilian Democratic Movement politicians Brazilian Social Democracy Party politicians People from João Pessoa, Paraíba People from Paraíba Deaths from liver cancer Deaths from cancer in Paraíba 20th-century Brazilian poets 20th-century Brazilian male writers {{Brazil-politician-stub