Word: geisel
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...ruling military junta had been searching for a man of "moral and intellectual depth . . . unquestionable knowledge . . . experience," a man who could provide the nation with "progress, well-being and happiness." This paragon, to no one's surprise, turned out to be another military man, ex-General Ernesto Geisel, 65, president of the state-owned petroleum monopoly, Petrobrás. Geisel must be approved by the electoral college before he is inaugurated for a five-year term on March 15, but this college is controlled by the generals' ARENA Party...
...appearances, Geisel is a perfect choice to perpetuate the rule of the junta that has run Brazil since the 1964 coup that ousted President Joāo Goulart. The son of a poor German immigrant schoolteacher, Geisel has devoted a lifetime to the army. At his desk every morning at 7:50, he is a model of efficiency, has no hobbies except reading (in four languages) and takes work home at night. He was a leader of the military coup that toppled Goulart on charges of "Communism and corruption." When he retired from the service to take over Petrobr...
...Despite Geisel's military sternness, some Brazilians feel that he is the best of an unavoidable lot. They base their feelings mainly on his past performance. In 1966, for example, Geisel was a leader of a movement within the military to retain the Congress, when other generals demanded its dissolution; the following year he was instrumental in pushing through a constitutional amendment that formally retained the Congress (though it was stripped of power). "Geisel has a military appearance but a civilian mind," says an editor in Sāo Paulo. "With Médici it was the other...
...these, nevertheless, are thin straws. While Geisel can be counted on to keep Brazil's economy booming, it remains to be seen whether he will ease the junta's restrictions on Congress, political parties and the press. Brazilians can remember Médici's 1969 inaugural promise to see "democracy definitely installed in our country." That promise was never kept...
Some observers, though, believe that the early rumors about Geisel clearly indicate that he is not going to be the candidate; in this theory, the stories are merely being used to stifle speculation while Médici makes up his mind. Nonetheless, the general's selection needs some public identity before his name can be put before Congress for its rubber-stamp approval next autumn, and the decision will likely come soon. "Everyone is going to start trying to line up behind spmeone," says a longtime observer, "and if there's not a clear indication of whom...