BRASILIA, BRAZIL (BDCi) — Brazil’s former central bank president, Henrique Meirelles, plans to abandon the Democratic Movement Party, or PMDB, to consider a run for the mayor’s seat of Sao Paulo, the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported Friday., or PMDB, to consider a run for the mayor’s seat of Sao Paulo, the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported Friday.
The paper said Meirelles on Thursday submitted a petition to a regional electoral court in Goais state requesting disaffiliation from the government- allied PMDB.
According to the report, published on the paper’s website, Meirelles is considering campaigning for the Sao Paulo mayoral job with the recently created Social Democratic Party, or PSD. The PSD was formed earlier this year at the initiative of current Sao Paulo mayor, Gilberto Kassab.
Meirelles, a former banker with FleetBoston Financial, served as Brazil’s central bank president from 2003-2010 before handing the post to successor Alexandre Tombini in January.
Meirelles currently serves as head of Brazil’s 2016 Olympics coordination council.
Before taking up the central bank post, Meirelles was elected as a federal congressman from the opposition Brazilian Social Democracy Party, or PSDB, from his home state of Goias.
Transcribed by Janete Weinstein Source: Dow Jones Photo: Bahia economica 7 October, 2011
11:59 p.m. PDT