Ciro Gomes

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Ciro Ferreira Gomes (born Pindamonhangaba, 6 November 1957) is a Brazilian lawyer and politician. He was a founding member of the then-center-left Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), but left the party in 1996. He later moved to the Socialist People's Party (PPS) and ran as the PPS' presidential candidate in 1998 and 2002. He supported Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the latter election, and was ultimately chosen to be the Minister for National Integration in Lula's new government. When the PPS' leadership voted to leave the governing coalition in December 2004, Gomes chose to remain in his post. As a result, the PPS removed him from the party leadership, and he decided to join the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). In 2006 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies with the highest percentage ever achieved by a single candidate in a proportional election - 16.7%.^{[citation needed]}

He is married to famous soap actress Patrícia Pillar.

[edit] History

Ciro Gomes became governor of the Brazilian northeastern state of Ceará in 1990, at the age of 32. The four years he spent as governor was known to many as a great economic and social reform from a poverty stricken state. He attracted much international investment, and Unicef praised him for cutting infant mortality by a third.

He also famously built a water canal 71 miles long in only 90 days to Fortaleza, the capital, to advert a water supply crisis.

In 1994 he was nominated finance minister at a crucial time when the Real Plan was underway as an economic stabilization program. He briefly curbed a surge in inflation, helping Fernando Henrique Cardoso win the election.

Preceded by Maria Luíza Fontenele	Mayor of Fortaleza January 01, 1989 – April 02, 1990	Succeeded by Juraci Magalhães
Preceded by Tasso Jereissati	Governor of Ceará March 15, 1991 – October 08, 1994	Succeeded by Francisco Aguiar
Preceded by Rubens Ricupero	Finance Minister of Brazil September 06, 1994 – January 01, 1995	Succeeded by Pedro Malan