Hamilton Mourão

Antônio Hamilton Martins Mourão (Brazilian Portuguese: [ɐ̃nˈtõniu aˈmiwtõw̃ maʁˈtʃĩns mowˈɾɐ̃w̃]; born 15 August 1953) is a Brazilian politician who sits as the 25th and current Vice President of Brazil under President Jair Bolsonaro since 1 January 2019. Mourão is a retired Brazilian Army General, the highest rank a Brazilian soldier can reach during peace time.[1] He is a member of the Brazilian Labour Renewal Party. Mourão is the first ethnically indigenous person to ever hold the office of vice president of Brazil.

His Excellency General Hamilton Mourão
Mourão in 2020
Vice President of Brazil
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2019
President	Jair Bolsonaro
Preceded by	Michel Temer
Personal details
Born	Antônio Hamilton Martins Mourão 15 August 1953 Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Political party	PRTB
Spouse(s)	Paula Mourão ​ (m. 2018)​
Mother	Wanda Coronel Martins
Father	Antônio Hamilton Mourão
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Brazil
Branch/service	Brazilian Army
Years of service	1971–2018
Rank	General
Commands	27th Field Artillery Group 2nd Jungle Infantry Brigade 6th Army Division South Military Command Secretariat of Economy and Finances

Personal life

Mourão was born in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, the son of General Antônio Hamilton Mourão and Wanda Coronel Martins. He retired on 28 February 2018.[2] He is of Indigenous Brazilian descent, and declares himself Indigenous Brazilian.[3] Hamilton is a practising Roman Catholic[4] and a Freemason.[5]

Mourão became a widower in December 2016. He married Paula Mourão in October 2018. Paula is a first lieutenant of the Brazilian Army, where the couple met. They made their relationship public in 2017. The Mourãos own residences in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro.[6]

Career

Military career

General Mourão in 2016

Mourão joined the Army in February 1972, in the Academia Militar das Agulhas Negras (AMAN), in Resende, Rio de Janeiro, where he became on officer on December 12, 1975. As lieutenant, he was instructor at Military Academy and as Captain, he worked with Jair Bolsonaro in the 8th Paratrooper Field Artillery Group, placed in Rio de Janeiro.

He later had classes at the Escola de Comando e Estado-Maior do Exército (ECEME) where he graduated as Staff Officer and attended classes of Politics, Strategy and Army High Administration. He also trained in Basic Parachuting, Jump Master and Free Jump.

During his military career he was an instructor at AMAN, was part of a peace mission in Angola and was the Military Attache for Brazil's Embassy to Venezuela. He commanded the 27th Field Artillery Group in Ijuí, Rio Grande do Sul; the 2nd Jungle Infantry Brigade in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas; the 6th Army Division and Military Command of the South in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul.

Politics

Mourão gained fame in 2015 during the political crisis in the second term of president Dilma Rousseff, when he was transferred from the Military Command of the South (CMS) to the Secretary of Economy and Finance, in the Federal District, due to statements made in a speech about the current state of politics.

Mourão with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Beijing, 24 May 2019

In a public announcement of the Masonic Lodge Grande Oriente in September 2017, in the Federal District, Mourão stated that, "among the duties of the Brazilian Army, there was the guarantee of the operation of the institutions and of the law and order", and that, if the judiciary "couldn't be able to heal the existing politics in the country, this would be imposed by the army through a military intervention", which, in his vision, "is provided by the Federal Constitution of 1988".[7]

However, in May 2018, following the truck drivers' strike, Mourão spoke against calls for military intervention in the government, stating that "if the government lacks conditions to govern, leave, resign. Call elections earlier, do whatever, but end its immobilism", and that "the country cannot descend to chaos". He also called the Unified Federation of Oil Workers' strike, "shameful", and said "there are people taking advantage [of the situation] on both sides".[8]

Leaving the active service in 2018, Mourão considered running for president of the Military Club.[9]

On 8 May 2018, Mourão announced his membership in the Brazilian Labor Renewal Party (PRTB) and his intention to run for President of Brazil, along with Levy Fidelix.[10] However, in August 2018, Mourão became Vice Presidential running mate of far-right Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro.[11]

References

1. "Comando Militar do Sul terá novo comandante" [Southern Military Command will have new commander] (in Portuguese). DefesaNet. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
2. Coutinho, Mateus (28 February 2018). "Judiciário tem que 'expurgar' Temer, diz general Mourão" [Judiciary has to 'expurgate' Temer, says general Mourão]. O Globo (in Portuguese). Infoglobo. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
3. ""É só olhar para o meu rosto", diz vice de Bolsonaro sobre se declarar indígena" ["Just look at my face", says deputy of Bolsonaro about declaring himself indigenous]. Folha de São Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 October 2018.
4. epoca.globo.com
5. "Hamilton Mourão é promovido, agora falta pouco para ocupar o posto mais alto da maçonaria no BRASIL". 2019-10-20.
6. General Mourão é casado com tenente 23 anos mais nova, fã de ‘50 Tons’ e ciumenta, Extra (Globo)
7. Marés, Chico (18 September 2017). "Quem é o general que falou em intervenção militar para resolver crise política do país" (in Portuguese). O Globo. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
8. General repudiates military action against government and says that the people become hostages of the protests (in Portuguese)
9. "Mourão exonerado de cargos e transferido para a reserva no início de 2018" (in Portuguese). Revista Sociedade Militar. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
10. Mantovani, Kelly (8 May 2018). "General Mourão filia-se ao PRTB e pode ser candidato a presidente pelo partido" (in Portuguese). Folha de S. Paulo. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
11. "Bolsonaro anuncia general Hamilton Mourão como vice" (in Portuguese). G1. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.