Ivan Martins Pinheiro (born 18 March 1946) is a Brazilian politician, former General Secretary of the

Brazilian Communist Party The Brazilian Communist Party (), originally the Communist Party of Brazil (), is a communist party in Brazil, founded on 25 March 1922. Arguably the oldest active political party in Brazil, it played an important role in the country's 20th- ...

(PCB) from 2005 to 2016 and a candidate in the 2010 presidential election. He also ran for mayor of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

in 1996. Pinheiro was born in Rio de Janeiro, then capital of Brazil, and started his political life as a student leader at the Pedro II College, the most important college in the country. He was president of the student board and was arrested for his political activism. In 1964, when the military installed their dictatorship, Pinheiro was admitted to Law School at the State University of Guanabara (currently UERJ). There, he joined the MR-8, then the most important urban guerrilla in Brazil, and connected to the

. Again he was elected as chair of the student board (''Centro Acadêmico Luiz Carpenter''). In 1976, hired by the

Banco do Brasil Banco do Brasil S.A. (, ) is a Brazilian financial services company headquartered in Brasília, Brazil. The oldest bank in Brazil, and among the oldest banks in continuous operation in the world, it was founded by John VI, King of Portugal, on ...

, he brought his Communist advocacy into the labor union of bank employees. In 1978, he was elected chairman of the union of bank workers of Rio de Janeiro, and became a union boss at the same time that Lula was heading the metalworkers in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

. He was elected to the Central Committee of the Party in 1982. In 1986, he ran for Congress for PCB, but wasn't elected. The next year, he led the party into joining the

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union federation, which was allied with Lula and his newly founded

Worker's Party Workers' Party is a name used by several political parties throughout the world. The name has been used by both organisations on the left and right of the political spectrum. It is currently used by followers of Marxism, Marxism–Leninism, Maoism, ...

. In 1989, then secretary-general of the party, Roberto Freire, ran for president of Brazil and Pinheiro supported him. Eventually, they both supported Lula in the run-off. In the early 1990s, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the PCB held a congress in which Freire and a group of Central Committee veterans had approved the self dissolution of the party. In January 1992, the remnants of PCB formed the People's Socialist Party (PPS), which increasingly moved rightwards in the political spectrum. Pinheiro then led a group of Marxist–Leninist who re-founded the PCB as a new, yet minor party, in late 1992. In 2000 and 2004, Ivan Pinheiro ran for city counselor, but was not elected. During the presidential elections of 2002, Pinheiro and the PCB supported Lula, who was elected president of Brazil. At the 13th Congress of the PCB, in 2005, in

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

, Ivan Pinheiro was elected secretary-general, and the party broke up with Lula. They also abandoned the goal of reunification with the

Communist Party of Brazil The Communist Party of Brazil (, PCdoB) is a List of political parties in Brazil, political party in Brazil. The PCdoB officially adheres to Marxist–Leninist theory. It has national reach and deep penetration in the trade union and Student ...

. In 2006, the PCB supported Heloísa Helena for president and Pinheiro ran for congress once more, but again wasn't elected. In July 2023, the Central Committee of the Communist Party decided to expel Pinheiro and four other members for misusing the party's brand for their own interests.

References

* ROEDEL, H. (2000) ''Atitude subversiva: biografia de Ivan Pinheiro''. Fundação Dinarco Reis. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinheiro, Ivan 1949 births Brazilian Communist Party politicians Living people Rio de Janeiro State University alumni