Ronaldo Cunha Lima (18 March 1936 – 7 July 2012) was a Brazilian poet and politician. He served as the governor of

Paraíba Paraíba ( , ; ) is a states of Brazil, state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba i ...

from 1991 to 1994.

Early life

Cunha Lima was born on 18 March 1936, in Guarabira,

. He moved with his family to the city of

Campina Grande Campina Grande is the second most populous Brazilian city in the State of Paraíba after João Pessoa, Paraíba, João Pessoa, the capital. It is considered to be the most important city of the Northeastern Brazilian subregion called ''agreste''. ...

, the second most populous city in Paraíba, when he was young. He received a legal studies degree from the Federal University of Paraíba, serving as Vice President of a political, student organization called Centro Estudantil Campinense while attending the university.

Political career

Assassination attempt on Tarcísio Burity

A notorious incident occurred while Cunha Lima was governor, following an incident where former governor Tarcísio Burity accused Cunha Lima's son Cássio Cunha Lima of corruption with respect to siphoning off money to be used for drought relief. On 5 November 1993, Governor Cunha Lima entered the Gulliver Restaurant in João Pessoa and shot his predecessor, former governor Burity, twice while Burity was eating. Burity spent days in a coma, but eventually recovered. After hours of being jailed, Cunha Lima was greeted on his balcony by a large crowd of fans that supported him defending his family's honor. A few days after the shooting, the city council of

presented Cunha Lima with a medal of merit.

Death

Cunha Lima died of complications from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

at his family's home in João Pessoa, Brazil, on 7 July 2012, at the age of 76. A public viewing was held at the Palácio da Redenção. He was buried in the Monte Santo cemetery. Survivors included his son, Senator Cássio Cunha Lima.

References

1936 births 2012 deaths Governors of Paraíba Brazilian male poets Brazilian Democratic Movement politicians Brazilian Social Democracy Party politicians People from João Pessoa, Paraíba People from Guarabira Deaths from liver cancer in Brazil Deaths from cancer in Paraíba 20th-century Brazilian poets 20th-century Brazilian male writers {{Brazil-politician-stub