Michel Temer

Biography

Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia was born on September 23, 1940, in Tietê, São Paulo state, to Lebanese immigrant parents. He studied law at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo and the University of São Paulo Law School, becoming an expert in constitutional law. Temer had a successful academic career, teaching constitutional law and writing several texts that became standard references in Brazilian law. His work made him one of Brazil's top constitutional law authorities, especially on federalism and legislative processes. Besides law, Temer was interested in literature and poetry, publishing several poetry books during his career. He got into politics in the 1980s as Brazil moved towards democracy, joining the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB). Temer was elected to the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies multiple times and was Speaker three times between 1997 and 2010. His expertise in parliamentary procedure and constitutional law made him influential in legislative matters. In 2010, he became the running mate for presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff of the Workers' Party, despite being from a different party. This partnership was typical of Brazilian coalition politics. As Vice President from 2011 to 2016, Temer had a complicated relationship with Rousseff's administration. He supported her policies at first but gradually distanced himself as economic and political problems grew. When Rousseff was impeached in 2016 over fiscal irregularities, Temer took over as president on May 12, 2016, initially as acting president, then permanently after the Senate removed Rousseff from office. His presidency focused on economic reforms and political stability during a severe recession and crisis. Temer's administration pushed for fiscal austerity, labor law changes, and efforts to attract foreign investment. He served until January 1, 2019, when he handed power to the newly elected president, Jair Bolsonaro.