Michel Temer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Excellency Michel Temer
Official portrait, 2017
37th President of Brazil
In office 31 August 2016 – 1 January 2019 Acting president 12 May 2016 – 31 August 2016
Vice President	None
Preceded by	Dilma Rousseff
Succeeded by	Jair Bolsonaro
24th Vice President of Brazil
In office 1 January 2011 – 31 August 2016
President	Dilma Rousseff
Preceded by	José Alencar
Succeeded by	Hamilton Mourão
43rd and 50th President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 2 February 2009 – 17 December 2010
Preceded by	Arlindo Chinaglia
Succeeded by	Marco Maia
In office 5 February 1997 – 14 February 2001
Preceded by	Luís Eduardo Magalhaes
Succeeded by	Aécio Neves
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 6 April 1994 – 30 December 2010
Constituency	São Paulo
In office 16 March 1987 – 1 February 1991
Constituency	São Paulo
Further offices held Secretary of Public Security of São Paulo In office 6 January 1993 – 27 November 1993 Governor Luís Antônio Fleury Filho Preceded by Paulo de Tarso Mendonça Succeeded by Odyr Porto In office 8 October 1992 – 31 December 1992 Governor Luís Antônio Fleury Filho Preceded by Pedro Franco de Campos Succeeded by Paulo de Tarso Mendonça In office 31 January 1984 – 14 February 1986 Governor Franco Montoro Preceded by Miguel Reale Júnior Succeeded by Eduardo Muylaert Prosecutor General of São Paulo In office 6 April 1991 – 8 October 1992 Governor Luís Antônio Fleury Filho Preceded by Sérgio João França Succeeded by Dirceu José Vieira Chrysostomo In office 16 March 1983 – 31 January 1984 Governor Franco Montoro Preceded by Laércio Francisco dos Santos Succeeded by Norma Jorge Kyriakos
Personal details
Born	(1940-09-23) 23 September 1940 (age 84) Tietê, São Paulo, Brazil
Political party	MDB (since 1981)
Spouses	Maria Célia de Toledo ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1987)​ Marcela Tedeschi ​ ​ (m. 2003)​
Domestic partners	Neusa Popinigis (sep.) Érika Ferraz (sep.)
Children	5
Alma mater	University of São Paulo Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
Signature

Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia, born on September 23, 1940, is a Brazilian politician, lawyer, and writer. He was the 37th president of Brazil from August 31, 2016, to January 1, 2019. Before becoming president, he served as the 24th vice president of Brazil starting in 2011. He became acting president on May 12, 2016, when the previous president, Dilma Rousseff, was temporarily removed from office.

The Senate voted on August 31, 2016, to remove Dilma Rousseff from office. This meant that Temer became president and finished her second term. In his first speech as president, Temer spoke about creating a government of "national salvation." He also planned to change the pension system and labor laws, and to control government spending.

Temer did not run for president in the 2018 Brazilian general election. He was succeeded by Jair Bolsonaro.

Early Life and Education

Michel Temer was born in Tietê, São Paulo, Brazil. His parents, Nakhoul "Miguel" Elias Temer Lulia and March Barbar Lulia, were Maronite Catholic immigrants from Lebanon. They came to Brazil in 1925 to escape difficult times after World War I. Temer is the youngest of their five children born in Brazil. He understands some Arabic but is not fluent.

As a child, Temer wanted to be a pianist, but there were no piano teachers in his town. As a teenager, he dreamed of becoming a writer. He struggled with science classes in high school, so he chose to focus on humanities and languages. In 1957, he moved to São Paulo to finish high school.

In 1959, he joined the Law School of the University of São Paulo, like his older brothers. He graduated in 1963. In his first year, he became involved in student politics as a treasurer for the school's students' union.

In 1974, he earned a doctorate in public law from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP).

Academic Career and Books

Vice President Temer receives the "judicial merit medal" in October 2013.

In 1968, Temer began teaching constitutional law at PUC-SP. He also taught civil law and was a director in the postgraduate department.

Published Works

Temer wrote four important books on constitutional law. His most famous book, Elements of Constitutional Law, was published in 1982 and sold over 240,000 copies. This book explains how the Brazilian government is organized, especially the idea of separation of powers.

In his 2006 book, Democracy and Citizenship, he talked about the importance of law. In his writings, he supported a parliamentary system of government and a system where people could vote to remove politicians from office (a political recall). He was against the government getting too involved in the economy or raising taxes.

However, he only considered himself a writer in 2013 when he published Anonymous Intimacy, a book of poems. It has 120 poems, many of which he wrote on napkins during his plane trips. Temer said writing poems helped him relax from the busy world of politics.

Political Journey

Starting in 1987, Temer served six terms as a member of the Chamber of Deputies. He was also the president of the Chamber three times (1997–1998, 1999–2000, and 2009–2010). Temer was part of the group that wrote the current Constitution of Brazil in 1988. He became the President of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), which was the largest political party in Brazil.

Temer was the second Vice President of Lebanese background in Brazil's history.

Role in Dilma Rousseff's Impeachment

President Dilma Rousseff gives her inaugural speech as Vice President Temer and his wife Marcela watch, January 1, 2011.

In 2015 and 2016, Temer was involved in the events leading to Dilma Rousseff's impeachment. In December 2015, Temer sent a letter to President Rousseff, expressing his concerns about not being involved enough in government decisions. He felt like a "decorative" vice president, not an active one.

In April 2016, an audio recording of Temer was shared with the media. In the recording, Temer spoke as if the impeachment process was already over and he was the new president. This happened just hours before a committee was set to vote on the impeachment request. Temer said he accidentally sent the recording to a group chat for his party's representatives.

Becoming Acting President

Vice President Temer holds his first cabinet meeting as Acting President at the Planalto Palace, May 13, 2016.

Temer at the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

In the early hours of May 12, 2016, the Senate voted to accept Rousseff's impeachment. According to the Brazilian Constitution, Rousseff's powers were suspended, and Temer became acting president. He would serve as acting president for up to 180 days while the Senate decided whether to permanently remove Rousseff from office.

On his first day as acting president, Temer chose a new group of ministers for his cabinet. He reduced the number of government ministries from 32 to 23.

On June 30, 2016, Temer approved a new law called Lei das Estatais ("State-owned enterprises law"). This law aimed to improve how Brazilian state-owned companies were managed, especially after a financial crisis. The new law brought in rules to make these companies more open and required their leaders to have professional experience.

As acting president, he opened the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on August 5, 2016, at the Maracanã Stadium.

President of Brazil

Michel Temer takes the presidential oath of office during his inauguration in the National Congress, August 31, 2016.

On August 31, 2016, the Senate voted to remove Rousseff from office, making Temer the President of Brazil. He served the rest of Rousseff's second term, which ended on December 31, 2018. The position of vice president then became empty.

In October 2016, the Constitution of Brazil was changed to limit public spending. This meant that government spending would be mostly frozen for twenty years, only adjusted for inflation. This change received both praise and criticism.

BRICS leaders in Hangzhou, China, September 3, 2016. Left to right: Temer, Modi, Xi, Putin and Zuma.

In March 2017, Temer decided to move back to the vice presidential residence. He had some issues with changes he made to the Presidential Palace.

On April 28, 2017, trade unions organized a general strike against his government's proposed changes to pensions and labor laws. This led to shutdowns of public services in many cities.

On February 16, 2018, Temer signed a law to fight organized crime in Rio de Janeiro. This law gave the military full control of security until January 1, 2019. The next day, Temer suggested creating a new Ministry of Public Security.

Amazon Rainforest Decree

On August 22, 2017, Temer issued a decree to open up a large Amazonian reserve called "Reserva Nacional do Cobre e Associados" (Renca) for mining by private companies. This area was about 4 million hectares. After many people criticized this decision, the decree was canceled on September 26.

Presidential Visits to Other Countries

Temer with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, June 2017.

Country	Date(s)	City	Type
China	2–5 September 2016	Hangzhou, Shanghai	Working Visit
United States	18–21 September 2016	New York City	Working Visit
Argentina	3 October 2016	Buenos Aires	State Visit
Paraguay	3 October 2016	Asunción	State Visit
India	15–17 October 2016	Goa	Working Visit
Japan	18–19 October	Tokyo	State Visit
Portugal	10 January 2017	Lisbon	State Visit
Russia	20–22 June 2017	Moscow	State Visit
Norway	22–23 June 2017	Oslo	State Visit
Germany	7–8 July 2017	Berlin	Working Visit
Argentina	21 July 2017	Ciudad de Mendoza	Working Visit
China	31 August–4 September 2017	Beijing, Xiamen	Working Visit
United States	18–21 September 2017	New York City	Working Visit
Switzerland	January 19–26	Davos	Working Visit
Chile	11 March 2018	Valparaíso	Working Visit
Peru	13–14 April 2018	Lima	Working Visit
Paraguay	18 June 2018	Asunción	Working Visit
Cape Verde	17–18 July 2018	Sal	Working Visit
Mexico	23–24 July 2018	Puerto Vallarta	Working Visit
South Africa	25–27 July 2018	Johannesburg	Working Visit
United States	25 September–1 October 2018	New York City	Working Visit
Chile	21 November 2018	Santiago	Working Visit

Personal Life

Michel and Marcela Temer, with their son Michel, at the 2017 Independence Day parade in Brasília.

Temer was raised by Maronite parents and identifies as a Catholic.

Temer has three daughters from his first marriage to Maria Célia Toledo: Luciana (born 1969), Maristela (born 1972), and Clarissa (born 1974). He also has a son named Eduardo (born 1999) with journalist Érica Ferraz.

In 2002, Temer met Marcela Tedeschi (born 1983). They married on July 26, 2003, in a small ceremony. Marcela later earned a law degree. She mentioned in an interview that she did not take the licensing exam because of the birth of their son, Michel, also known as "Michelzinho."

Awards and Decorations

Below is a list of some awards Temer has received:

National Honours

Ribbon bar	Honour	Date
	Grand Cross of the Order of the Southern Cross	2016 - automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco	2016 - automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit	2016 - automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit	2016 - automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Aeronautical Merit	2016 - automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the Order of Military Judicial Merit	2016 - automatic upon taking presidential office
	Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit	2016 - automatic upon taking presidential office

Foreign Honours

Ribbon bar	Country	Honour	Date
	Argentina	Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín	2017
	Denmark	Grand Cross of Dannebrog	1999
	France	Knight of the Legion of Honor	1998
	Paraguay	Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit	2017
	Portugal	Grand Cross of the Order of Christ	1997
	Portugal	Grand Officier of the Order of Prince Henry	1987

Images for kids

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  Michel Temer being awarded the legislative merit medal, November 2015

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  Eduardo Cunha (left) at a press conference with fellow PMDB member Renan Calheiros (middle) on May 21, 2015.

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  With Vladimir Putin at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, June 20, 2017.

See Also

• 2014 Brazilian economic crisis