Ciro Gomes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ciro Gomes GOMM
Ciro in 2021
Member of the Chamber 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 67) Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, Brazil
Political party	PDT (since 2015)
Other political affiliations	PDS (1982–1983) PMDB (1983–1990) PSDB (1990–1997) PPS (1997–2005) PSB (2005–2013) PROS (2013–2015)
Spouses	Patrícia Saboya ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 1999)​ Patricia Pillar ​ ​ (m. 1999; div. 2011)​ Giselle Bezerra ​ (m. 2017)​
Children	4
Relatives	Cid Gomes (brother)
Alma mater	Federal University of Ceará (LL.B.)
Profession	Lawyer, university professor, writer

Ciro Ferreira Gomes (born 6 November 1957), often called Ciro, is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and professor. He is currently part of the Democratic Labour Party (PDT).

Ciro was born in São Paulo but grew up in Ceará. His family was involved in politics. He started his own political journey at age 27 in 1984. At 30, he became the Mayor of Fortaleza in 1988. Then, at 32, he was elected Governor of Ceará in 1990. During his time as governor, he was very popular. His "Viva Criança" program helped reduce babies dying in Ceará by 32%. This program even won an international award from UNICEF.

Because of his success, Ciro was chosen to be the Minister of Finance for a few months in 1994. He worked under President Itamar Franco. During this time, he helped with the "Real Plan". This plan made the economy stable and stopped very high prices (hyperinflation).

Ciro ran for President of Brazil two times, in 1998 and 2002. He came in third and fourth place. After the 2002 election, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made Ciro the Minister of National Integration. In this role, he worked on developing different regions and moving water from the São Francisco River. In 2006, Ciro was elected as a federal deputy for Ceará. He ran for president again in 2018 and 2022.

Ciro is known for speaking his mind, which has earned him both praise and criticism. He has been a strong opponent of recent presidents, sharing his views on how the country should be run. He has also written several books.

Early Life and Education

Ciro Gomes was born in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, in 1957. His parents were José Euclides Ferreira Gomes Filho and Maria José Ferreira Gomes. In 1962, his family moved to Sobral, Ceará. The Ferreira Gomes family has been active in Ceará politics for many years.

In 1976, Ciro started studying law at the Federal University of Ceará. He remembered being involved with student groups that had Catholic beliefs. After finishing his degree, Ciro went back to Sobral. There, he worked for the local government as a lawyer for the city.

State Political Career

Starting in State Politics

Ciro first ran for office in 1982. He became a State Deputy for Sobral. He started his first term in February 1983. Ciro quickly got a lot of attention from the media. He was willing to talk about big national issues like democracy and social changes. He felt other politicians in Ceará were not discussing these topics enough. In 1985, Ciro also started teaching tax law at the University of Fortaleza.

Ciro campaign poster in 1982

In 1988, Ciro was elected Mayor of Fortaleza. This is the capital city of Ceará. He started his term the next year. As Mayor, he supported Mário Covas in the first round of the 1989 presidential election. He then supported Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round.

Governor of Ceará

Ciro was elected the Governor of Ceará in 1990. He was 32 years old at the time. This made him one of the youngest governors in Brazil. As governor, he worked to help small businesses and make government processes simpler. He also worked to stop people from avoiding taxes, which helped the state earn more money.

Ciro also put more money into education and public health. By July 1992, a survey showed he was the most popular governor in Brazil. He had a 74% approval rate. Time magazine even named him one of the 100 most important new leaders in the world.

One of his biggest achievements as governor was building a 71-mile long water canal. It was called the "Canal do Trabalhador." Northeastern Brazil had several droughts from 1991 to 1993. In 1993, Ciro managed to build this canal in just 3 months. It successfully brought water to Fortaleza, stopping a water shortage crisis.

Ciro's public health program, "Programa Viva Criança," helped reduce the number of babies dying in the state by 32%. This program received the Maurice Paté prize from UNICEF.

National Political Career

Minister of Finance

In 1994, Ciro became the Minister of Finance. He served in the government of President Itamar Franco. This was a very important time for Brazil's economy. The "Real Plan" was being put into action. This plan was designed to make the economy stable and fight against very high inflation (when prices rise very quickly). Ciro's good work in overseeing the Real Plan helped Fernando Henrique Cardoso win the presidential election later that year. Cardoso had promised to continue the plan. However, Ciro later disagreed with Cardoso's government in 1997.

Presidential Candidacies

Ciro was one of the first members of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) in 1988. This party was originally more left-leaning. But in 1997, Ciro left the party because it moved more to the right. He then joined the Socialist People's Party (PPS). He ran for president in 1998 as a member of this party. He tried to be a different option on the left side of politics.

Map of the 1998 Brazilian presidential election. Ciro only managed to win his home state of Ceará.

In the 1998 election, Ciro came in third place. He won 11% of the votes. Only the top two candidates move on to a second round of voting. The only state he won was Ceará, his home state. Fernando Henrique Cardoso was re-elected president.

Ciro ran for president again in the 2002 election. At one point, he was doing very well in the polls. However, some mistakes he made during the campaign caused his support to drop. He ended up in fourth place, with 12% of the votes. In the second round of the 2002 election, Ciro supported Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After Lula won, he chose Ciro to be the Minister for National Integration.

When his party, the PPS, decided to leave Lula's government in 2004, Ciro chose to stay in his job. Because of this, the PPS removed him from their leadership. He then joined the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) in 2005. In 2006, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies. He received the highest percentage of votes ever for a single candidate in that type of election.

2018 Presidential Election

Ciro had decided not to run for president in 2010. But in 2018, he announced he would run for president for the third time. He was the candidate for the PDT. For his running mate (Vice President), Ciro chose Kátia Abreu. She was a former Minister of Agriculture.

Logo used during Ciro's 2018 presidential campaign.

Many experts thought Ciro would get a lot of support. This was because Lula was not allowed to run for president due to a legal issue. Ciro was seen as a candidate who could bring together different left and center-left parties. His main competitor for these votes was Fernando Haddad. Haddad was the former Mayor of São Paulo and had Lula's support.

Ciro did well in the polls for most of the election. However, Lula's strong support for Haddad helped Haddad gain more votes. Ciro finished in third place in the first round. He only won in his home state of Ceará.

In the second round, Ciro said he was against Jair Bolsonaro, who won the election. Ciro called Bolsonaro a "fascist." However, Ciro did not officially support Haddad. After Bolsonaro won, some important figures on the left said they regretted supporting Haddad instead of Ciro.

2022 Presidential Election

Ciro Gomes (PDT) vote distribution in the first round

Ciro Gomes ran for president for the fourth time in the 2022 presidential election. He finished in fourth place.

Personal Life

Ciro has lived in Ceará for most of his life. He earned a law degree from the Federal University of Ceará. He taught tax law and constitutional law as a professor. He has also written four books about politics and the economy.

Ciro with his girlfriend Giselle Bezerra.

Ciro also worked in the private sector. He was the President of Transnordestina S/A, a company that transports goods in Northeastern Brazil. He also served on the Board of Directors for Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional, a steel company. Many members of his family have also been involved in Brazilian politics, including two of his four siblings, his father, and his uncle.

Ciro was married to his first wife, politician Patrícia Saboya, from 1983 to 1999. They have three children: Lívia, Ciro, and Yuri. Patricia Saboya Gomes was also active in politics in Ceará. From 1999 to 2011, Ciro was married to Brazilian actress Patrícia Pillar. In 2013, he started a relationship with Zara Castro, and they had a son named Gael in 2015. Since 2017, his girlfriend has been TV producer Giselle Bezerra.

Electoral History

Awards

• Medal of Merit for Defense (Order of Great Cross), given by the President, on November 21, 2003.
• Juscelino Kubitscheck Medal (Highest Order), given by the Governor of Minas Gerais, 1997.
• World Prize from UNICEF - Maurice Pate Leadership for Children Award, 1993.

Published Works

Ciro Gomes has written four books:

• No País dos Conflitos (1994) - co-written with Miriam Leitão.
• O Próximo Passo – Uma Alternativa Prática ao Neoliberalismo (1996) - co-written with Roberto Mangabeira Unger.
• Um Desafio Chamado Brasil (2002) - a collection of articles he wrote for newspapers.
• Projeto Nacional: O Dever Da Esperança (2020).

See also

In Spanish: Ciro Gomes para niños

• List of mayors of Fortaleza