Collor de Mello, Fernando Affonso

Collor de Mello, Fernando Affonso (1949- ), Brazilian political figure, President of Brazil (1990-1992). Born in Rio de Janeiro and a graduate of economics and journalism from the University of Brasilia, Collor worked for his family's media group, and became its president in 1978. From 1979 to 1981 he served as mayor of Maceio, capital of Alagoas state, in north-eastern Brazil. He was elected federal deputy for Alagoas in 1982 and, like his father, was governor of Alagoas from 1987 to 1989. It was in this role that he received national attention for his economic reforms, cutting the high salaries of top government employees in the impoverished state.

In 1989 Collor entered a crowded race for the presidency of Brazil as the candidate of the newly formed National Reconstruction Party. By promising to cut inflation through radical reforms, he survived the first round of voting and won an additional election against Luís da Silva (an advocate of strong government intervention) in December. In March 1990 Collor became Brazil's youngest president and its first directly elected president since 1960. He immediately announced a "shock plan" designed to curtail inflation, reduce the government's economic role, trim the bureaucracy, and encourage a free market economy. In 1991, while attempting to stimulate the economy, Collor focused attention on creating reservations for Brazil's indigenous peoples and on urging the Group of Seven creditor nations to help protect the Amazon rainforest.

Collor's economic reforms were of questionable value, and in September 1992 he was impeached following a vote of 441 to 38 by the Chamber of Deputies of the Brazilian legislature on charges of corruption. Collor, while maintaining his innocence, stepped down, allowing Vice-President Itamar Franco to become the country's acting president. In December 1992, at the opening of his impeachment trial by the Brazilian Senate, Collor resigned as President of Brazil. The Senate convicted Collor of the corruption charges by a vote of 76 to 3. The verdict barred him from holding public office for a period of eight years. Collor also faced criminal prosecution on the corruption charges. Franco replaced Collor as president. In December 1994 he was acquitted of corruption by the Supreme Federal Tribunal on the grounds of insufficient evidence, increasing his chances of returning to politics.