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Leonel BrizolaLeonel Brizola was a Brazilian politician (Passo Fundo, January 22nd 1922 — Rio de Janeiro, June 21st 2004). He was governor of Rio Grande do Sul between 1959 and 1962, governor of Rio de Janeiro state twice (1983–1987 and 1991–1994). He was also vice-president of Socialist International, as well Honorary President of that organization for few months (since October 2003 until his death). A disciple of former Brazilian presidents Getlio Vargas and Joo Goulart (brother of Brizola's wife, Neusa Goulart), Brizola started his political career as member of Partido Trabalhista Brasileiro, PTB. He inherited the legacy of Vargas: the populism, a very common political system in South America that times. During the presidency of Goulart (1961–1964) Brizola was an important supporter, first as governor and later as consulate. He gained nationwide visibility acting two times in defense of democracy and Goulart's rights as president. First, when Jnio Quadros renouced, the brazilian military ministers sketch a plan to prevent Goulart to became president. Brizola then forged a pool of radio stations in Rio Grande do Sul, the so-called "cadeia da legalidade" (legality chain), preventing the country of dirty intentions behind minister's actions. This first coup failed, and Goulart assumed the presidency. Later (April 1964), when the military coup successfully overthrowed Goulart, Brizola was the only governor to offer support for the president, sheltering him in Rio Grande do Sul's capital Porto Alegre while there was still hopes to restore the democracy. (The governor of Pernambuco, Miguel Arraes, also was a supporter of Goulart, but he was jailed as soon as the coup was declared.) By his connection with Goulart, Brizola was exilated by the winning military dictatorship installed in 1964; he went to Uruguay as Goulart did before. But he didn't found peace even in that country, since the Brazil's new military government pressed the authorities of Uruguay in order to seize Brizola. In 1977 he was deported from there by allegated "violations of political asylum norms". After spent some time in USA, Leonel Brizola set home in Portugal. In the last years of 1970s the brazilian miltiary dictatorship was dying, and an amnesty was announced. Brizola returned to Brazil and founded a new party, the Democratic Labour Party (Partido Democrtico Trabalhista, PDT). The party joined the Socialist International in 1986, and since then his symbol also contains the hand with the red flower (symbol of SI). In last decades Brizola ran for president twice. In 1989 he finished third, loosing the second position by a very narrow margin to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (Fernando Collor de Mello was elected). He was very popular in his home state Rio Grande do Sul and in Rio de Janeiro, but never got more than 2% of So Paulos votes. In 1994 he finished fifth (the winner was Fernando Henrique Cardoso). Four years later he was candidate as running mate of Lula da Silva; they lost for F. H. Cardoso. In 2002 Brizola support the candidacy of Ciro Gomes for president. Gomes finished third, the elected president was Lula da Silva. The PDT was (and still is) very weak to face new parties in Brazil's political scene, so Brizola became a secondary figure in last years. Despite of lean support for Lula for some periods, Brizola last public acts were all criticizing Lula's supposed neoliberal policy and negligence for traditional left-wing and workers struggles. Brizola died in 2004, after a cardiac arrest. External links
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