Fernando Collor de Mello was born in 1949, in Rio de Janeiro. Coming from a traditional family of politicians, Collor spent his adolescence in Brasília and graduated in economics from the University of Brasília. In 1973, he went to Alagoas and took over the Gazeta de Alagoas newspaper, which belongs to his family.
In 1979, he was appointed mayor of Alagoas by the Military Government. Three years later, Collor was elected federal deputy by the PDS (Social Democratic Party). In 1986, he ran and won the elections for governor of Alagoas. During his tenure, he gained notoriety for fighting the “Maharajas”, civil servants accused of receiving astronomical salaries.
In the 1989 presidential elections, Fernando Collor joined the unknown National Reconstruction Party (PRN) and created a ticket to run for president. Contrary to the predictions of that electoral dispute, Fernando Collor won the elections and was crowned the first President of the Republic elected by direct vote after the end of the military dictatorship.
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiab/fernando-collor.htm
