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Fernando Henrique Cardoso


Fernando Henrique Cardoso (born June 18, 1931) was the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil from January 1, 1995 to January 1, 2003.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, he has lived in São Paulo most of his life. Cardoso is married (wife Ruth Cardoso ) and has 3 children. Trained as a sociologist, he was a Professor of Political Science and Sociology at Universidade de São Paulo. He was President of the International Sociology Association (ISA), from 1982 to 1986. He became a member of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton), a honorary foreign member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and penned several books.

He was also Associated Director of Studies in the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris and then visiting professor at the Collège de France and later at the Paris-Nanterre University . He also lectured at American universities including Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley. After his presidency, he was appointed to a five-year term as professor-at-large at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies, beginning in 2003.

Cardoso founded the Party of the Brazilian Social Democracy (PSDB), in 1988 and led this party in the Senate until October 1992. From October 1992 to May 1993, he served as minister of foreign affairs under President Itamar Franco. From May 1993 until April 1994, he was minister of finance.

As minister of finance, Cardoso introduced the Plano Real (Real Plan) to end hyperinflation. Buoyed by the success of the Plano Real, Cardoso was elected president in the first round of elections, on October 3, 1994.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso was re-elected on October 4, 1998 with approximately 53% of the vote, while his closest challenger, Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), had about 32%.

President (left) with outgoing President Cardoso (right)
Enlarge
President Lula da Silva (left) with outgoing President Cardoso (right)

Cardoso was succeeded in 2003 by Lula da Silva, after his fourth run for the presidency. Da Silva won in the runoff against the candidate José Serra. Da Silva's election has been seen as a sign of Cardoso's growing unpopularity in his second term.

FHC (as he was sometimes called) was elected with the support of a heterodox alliance of his own center-left Social Democratic Party, the PSDB, and two center-right parties, the Liberal Front Party (PFL) and the Brazilian Labor Party (PTB). Brazil's largest party, the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), joined Cardoso's governing coalition after the election, as did the center-right PPB, the Brazilian Progressive Party, in 1996. Party loyalty is weak, and deputies and senators who belong to the parties comprising the government coalition do not always vote with the government. As a result, President Cardoso had difficulty, at times, gaining sufficient support for some of his legislative priorities, despite the fact that his coalition parties hold an overwhelming majority of congressional seats. Nevertheless, the Cardoso administration accomplished many of its legislative and reform objectives.

Before, he was elected Senator of the state of São Paulo for the former MDB, Movimento Democrático Brasileiro (Brazilian Democratic Movement), in 1978. Re-elected in 1986 for the PMDB (Brazilian Democratic Movement Party), which substituted MDB after Brazilian re-democratization.

Honors

Foreign Awards and Honors

Year Award or Order Date
2003 J. William Fulbright for International Understanding 10 February
2002 Military Order of Torre e Espada , Portugal (Grand Cross) 11 November
Medal, University of Technology of Peru 23 September
Honorary Doctor of Law, University of Salamanca, Spain 18 May
Honorary Doctor of Law, University of Konstantin Filozof , Nitra, Slovaquia 27 February
Honorary Doctor of Law, Moscow Academy, University of Moscow, Russia 26 February
Order “White Eagle”, Poland (Collar) 21 February
2001 Honorary Doctor of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel 18 November
National Order Mérito , Equador (Collar) 1 October
Honorary Doctor of Law, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciências Sociales , Equador 1 October
Order Congreso Nacional de la República del Ecuador , Equador 28 September
Order General Rumiñahui , Province of Pichincha, Equador 12 September
Orden de Manuel Amador Guerrero, Panamá (Collar) 8 August
Order of the Double White Cross I. Class, Slovakia (Grand Cross) 10 July
2000 Order King Abdul Aziz , Saudi Arabia (Collar) 18 September
National Order Steaua României , Romania (Collar) 17 July
Award “Príncipe das Astúrias de Cooperación Internacional 2000”, Spain 14 June
Award “Mérite”, Association des Comités Nationaux Olympiques 24 May
Gold Medal, Câmara Municipal de Santarém, Portugal 22 April
National Order “Juan Mora Fernández”, Costa Rica (Grand Cross) 4 April
Order “Francisco de Miranda”, Venezuela (Grand Cross) 29 March
Order “Condor de los Andes”, Bolivia (Collar) 15 March
Order “Infante D. Henrique”, Portugal (Collar) 7 March
1999 Order of the Elephant, Denmark (Grand Cross) 3 May
Order “Al Mérito por Servicios Distinguidos”, Peru (Special Grand Cross) 16 April
1998 Medal, Rotarian Foundation, International Rotary 2 September
Gold Medal, “Camara de los Deputados”, Spain 23 July
Gold Medal "Americas Society", USA 8 June
“Certificado ao Mérito”, Brazilian and Chilean Circle of Latin American Integration 20 May
Award “Felipe Herrera Lane”, Santiago, Chile 19 April
Order “Isabel la Católica”, Spain (Grand Cross and Collar) 17 April
Gold Medal, Galicia, Spain 20 March
1997 Honorary Doctor of Law, University of Cambridge 4 December
Honorary Doctor of Science (Economics), University of London, London School of Economics and Political Science 3 December
Order of the Bath, United Kingdom (Grand Cross and Collar) 2 December
Order “Merito da Câmara dos Deputados”, Chile 1 October
Order “Militar de Santiago da Espada”, Portugal (Collar) 6 September
Order of Lebanon (Extraordinary Degree) 2 September
Medal “Amilcar Cabral”, Guinea Bissau 8 July
Honorary Doctor of Law, Soka University, Japan 22 May
Interamerican Award of Leadership, Fundación Pan Americana de Desarrollo de la Organización de los Estados Americanos, Washington, DC 25 April
The Great Magyar Order , Hungary (Grand Cross) 3 April
The Order of White Rose , Finland (Grand-Cross and Collar) 24 February
Equitem Torquatum Ordinis Piani , Vatican, (Collar) 14 February
Honorary Doctor of Political Science, University of Bologna, Italy 13 February
1996 The Order of Good Hope , Republic of South Africa (Grand Cross) 26 November
The Grand Order of Mugunghwa (Coréia) (Collar) 11 September
Soka Gakkai International, Peace and Culture Award 10 September
Order “Nacional del Mérito”, Paraguay (Collar Mariscal Francisco Solano Lopez) 26 June
Medal “Chancellerie des Universités de Paris”, France 29 May
Légion d'Honneur, France (Grand Cross) 28 May
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University Lumière , France 19 May
Order “Libertador San Martin”, Argentina (Collar) 8 April
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University Sofia , Japan 14 March
Chrysanthemum Order , Japan (Grand-Cross) 13 March
Order “El Sol del Perú”, Peru (Grand Cross) 26 February
Order Aguila Azteca, Mexico (Collar) 19 February
Honorary Order “Estrela Amarela”, Suriname (Collar) 10 January
1995 “Darjah Utama Seri Makhota Negara”, Malaysia (Collar) 18 December
Order of Prince Iaroslav, “The Wise”, Ucrania (Collar) 25 November
Medal “Rotary Internacional” 25 September
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Free University of Berlin, Germany 20 September
Order of the Federal Republic of Germany (Grand Cross) 18 September
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Porto, Portugal 22 July
Order “Liberdade”, Portugal (Collar) 19 July
Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Coimbra, Portugal 11 July
Honorary Doctor of Laws, Central University of Venezuela , Venezuela 5 July
Order “Libertador”, Venezuela (Collar) 4 July
Order “Mérito”, Italy (Grand-Cross and Collar) 26 June
Order “Cavaliere di Gran Croce”, Italy (Grand Collar) 24 June
Medal of the Republic , Uruguay 20 June
Medal “Lions Club Internacional” 23 May
Order “Mérito”, Chile (Collar) 2 March
Order of the Polish Republic , Poland (Grand Cross) 20 February
1993 National Order “Mérito”, Equador (Grand Cross) 29 April
Order of Boyacá , Colombia (Grand Cross) 1 April
Order “Mérito”, Chile (Grand Cross) 8 March
1992 Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Chile 25 March
1991 Honorary Doctor of Laws, University of Notre Dame
1987 Order Mérito , Portugal (Grand Cross)
Elected Member of the Association Internationale Maison d'Auguste Comte , France
1985 Légion d'Honneur, France (Chevalier)
1984 Order Aguila Azteca ,México (Collar) 19 April
Elected Foreign Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
1983 Palmes Académiques , France (Officer)
1978 Honorary Doctor of Laws, Rutgers University

Last updated: 08-15-2005 15:04:53
Last updated: 10-29-2005 02:13:46