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Former Terrorist member of the Green Party may became Rio de Janeiro's Major

by Luiz Castro | October 5, 2008 at 05:48 pm | 147 views | 4 comments | 19 recommendations

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Brazil held elections for Majors and City Council today. See related article.

Fernando Gabeira has received 25.62% of the votes and will dispute the second electoral round against Eduardo Paes (PMDB) who got 31.99% of the valid votes.

To be elected for an Executive position in Brazil is required to obtain 50% plus 1 of the total valid votes.

Fernando Gabeira is a member of the PV- Partido Verde ( Green Party) and Federal Law Maker, member of the Brazilian National Congress. Fernando Gabeira is the author of the book O que é isso, companheiro? (Literally translating "What is this, comrade?" and colloquially"What are you doing, comrade?").

Gabeira’s book is about his own story as a former terrorist and his participation of the kidnaping of the American ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick, the book was made into a movie in 1997, titled Four Days in September in English.

Because of the participation on the kidnaping of the American Ambassador in Brazil during the Military Regime, Gabeira has never had received a visa for traveling to the U.S.

Gabeira was also one of the founding members of the Green Party of Brazil, but left the group in 2002 to join the Workers' Party. Recently he rejoined the Greens, due to his disappointment with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government levels of corruption, and also because of the way the Worker's Party was dealing with its remaining far-left members.

Gabeira has a reputation for being honest, ethical,uncorrupted and has repeatedly voiced his ideological support for the legalization of marijuana.

Gabeira has a reputation for being honest, ethical and uncorrupted, qualities that are in short supply in Brazil's government. He is also still notorious for having participated in the kidnapping of American ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick in 1969, an episode that was recounted in the 1997 film Four Days in September, in which Alan Arkin portrayed Elbrick.

That event took place when Gabeira, a journalist, was a member of the revolutionary group MR8, which opposed the Brazilian military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985. The generals had come into power in a U.S.-backed coup that overthrew a democratically elected government.