João Figueiredo

João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo (Portuguese: [ʒuˈɐ̃w baˈtʃistɐ dʒi oliˈvejɾɐ fiɡejˈɾedu, ˈʒwɐ̃w -]; 15 January 1918 – 24 December 1999) was a Brazilian military officer and dictator who served as the 30th president of Brazil from 1979 to 1985, the last of the military regime that ruled the country following the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état. He was chief of the Secret Service (SNI) during the term of his predecessor, Ernesto Geisel, who appointed him to the presidency at the end of his own term.

Figueiredo’s presidency continued the political liberalization started under Geisel. Shortly after taking office, he approved a broad amnesty for politicians who had been removed from office under the Institutional Acts. In 1980, the two-party system was abolished, leading to the creation of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) as the successor to the MDB and the Democratic Social Party (PDS) as the successor to ARENA, along with several new parties. Figueiredo joined the PDS. On September 22, 1981, he was awarded Portugal’s Grand Collar of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword. In 1982, electoral reforms were introduced to secure a majority for the ruling PDS in the upcoming elections against four opposition parties. However, his presidency saw several terrorist attacks attributed to hardline right-wing and military factions.

Figueiredo’s term was marked by a severe global economic crisis, rising international interest rates, the second oil shock of 1979, and skyrocketing inflation, which surged from 45% to 230% over six years. Brazil’s foreign debt exceeded $100 billion for the first time, forcing the government to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1982. That same year, the state of Rondônia was created. In 1983, the Diretas Já movement pushed for direct presidential elections, but the proposal was rejected by Congress. However, the Figueiredo administration allowed an indirect presidential election, ultimately leading to the end of Brazil’s military regime.

According to CIA documents, João Figueiredo supported the continuation of summary executions of political dissidents, in violation of legal and constitutional norms, as well as human rights principles.