Editing Politics of Brazil (section)

===Collor government (1990–1992)===
{{Main|Presidency of Collor de Mello}}

In 1989 Fernando Collor de Mello was elected president for the term from 1990 to 1994. The elections were marked by unanimous condemnation of [[José Sarney]], with all candidates trying to keep distance from him.

Collor made some very bold statements, like saying that the Brazilian industry (of which the Brazilians used to be very proud) was mostly obsolete and polluting or that defaulting the debt was equal to not paying the rent. He also took quite revolutionary measures, like reducing the number of ministries to only 12 and naming [[Zélia Cardoso de Mello]] Minister of Economy or removing existing barriers to importing of goods.

His inflation control plan was based on an attempt to control prices and a complicated currency conversion process that prevented people from cashing their bank accounts for 18 months.

All of this made him quite unpopular and denied him support in the parliament that he needed since his own party held few seats. At the beginning of his third year in office, he resigned as a result of in a huge corruption scandal. The charges against him would later be dropped, some on mere technicalities, some for actually being irrelevant or false.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2006-10-01|title=Fernando Collor é eleito senador por Alagoas|url=https://oglobo.globo.com/politica/eleicoes-2006/fernando-collor-eleito-senador-por-alagoas-5011019|access-date=2021-12-31|website=O Globo|language=pt-BR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2007-11-19|title=Senadores na Mídia - Principais Jornais|url=http://www.senado.gov.br/sf/noticia/senamidia/principaisJornais/verNoticia1.asp?ud=20060418&datNoticia=20060418&codNoticia=183629&nomeOrgao=&nomeJornal=O+Globo&codOrgao=2729|access-date=2021-12-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119014848/http://www.senado.gov.br/sf/noticia/senamidia/principaisJornais/verNoticia1.asp?ud=20060418&datNoticia=20060418&codNoticia=183629&nomeOrgao=&nomeJornal=O+Globo&codOrgao=2729|archive-date=2007-11-19}}</ref>

Collor desperately tried to resist [[Impeachment of Fernando Collor|impeachment]] by rallying the support of the youth and of the lower classes, but his call for help was answered by massive popular demonstrations, led mostly by students, demanding his resignation.