Márcio Bittar

Márcio Bittar
Bittar in 2019
Senator for Acre
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 February 2019
Preceded by	Jorge Viana
Federal Deputy from Acre
In office February 1, 2011 – January 31, 2019
In office 1 February 1999 – 1 February 2003
State Deputy of Acre
In office 1 January 1995 – 1 January 1999
Personal details
Born	(1963-06-28) 28 June 1963 (age 61) Franca, SP, Brazil
Political party	UNIÃO (2022–present)[1]
Other political affiliations	PMDB (1981–99) PPS (1999–2013) PSDB (2013–17) MDB (2017–21) PSL (2021–22)
Profession	Farmer, political scientist

Márcio Miguel Bittar (born 28 June 1963) is a Brazilian politician. Although born in São Paulo, he has spent his political career representing Acre, serving as federal senator since 2019.^[2] He was previously served in the chamber of deputies from 1991 to 2003 and from 2011 to 2015, and served in the state legislature from 1995 to 1999.^[3]

Personal life

Bittar was born in Franca to Mamédio Bittar and Manife Miguel Bittar.^[3] He grew up in Cuiabá and Jauru in the state of Mato Grosso.^[4] In his youth he was part of several militant leftist communist and socialists groups, but in his university years he joined the center-right PMDB.^[4] Bittar is married to Márcia Bittar, and is the father of 4 children and as of 2018 lives in Rio Branco. Before becoming a politician he worked as a farmer,^[3] and political scientist.^[4]

Political career

Bittar served as state deputy in the state legislature of Acre from 1995 to 1999.^[5] He was then elected to and served in the Chamber of Deputies for three consecutive terms from 1991 to 2003.^[3] From 1997 to 2003 he was the vice-leader of the Popular Socialist Party in the federal legislature.^[5][3]

Bittar returned to the lower house for one term from 2011 to 2014, but elected not to run for re-election but instead run for governor of Acre. In the second round of the 2014 election though he narrowly lost by around 10,000 votes to eventual winner Tião Viana.^[6]

In 2017 after having disagreements with his then political party the PSDB, Bittar rejoined the PMDB.^[7] In the 2018 Brazilian general election Bittar was elected to the federal senate, coincidentally beating Viana who was also running for a seat in the senate.^[8]

Despite his early left-wing involvement, today politically Bittar is considered strongly economically liberal and socially conservative. Ideologically Bittar identifies himself as a liberal conservative.^[9] Highly critical of the Workers' Party's handling of the economy, Bittar was a vocal supporter of limiting government spending and the 2017 Brazil labor reform.^[10] Bittar was a supporter of Jair Bolsonaro's presidential campaign, who in turn endorsed Bittar in his senate race.^[11]

Notes

References

1. "Márcio Bittar deixa o MDB e deve comandar a fusão de DEM e PSL no Acre". Folha do Acre (in Portuguese). 24 September 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
2. "Senador Marcio Bittar – AC" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 July 2019.
3. "MARCIO BITTAR – Biografia". Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 July 2019.
4. "Candidatos – Governador – Acre – Márcio Miguel Bittar" (in Portuguese). Folha Online. 12 August 2006. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
5. "Biografia de Márcio Bittar no especial do G1 sobre as eleições de 2006" (in Portuguese). G1. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
6. "Resultado das Apurações dos votos do 2º turno das Eleições 2014 no Acre para Governador, Senador, Deputados Federais e Deputados Estaduais" (in Portuguese). G1 Globo. 30 November 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
7. Luis Carlos Moreira Jorge (20 July 2017). "Márcio Bittar faz as malas do PSDB e procura PMDB". AC24horas. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
8. "Senadores e deputados federais/estaduais eleitos: Apuração e resultado das Eleições 2018 AC – UOL Eleições 2018" (in Portuguese). Eleições 2018. 9 October 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
9. Perazzp, Valdir (15 October 2018). "Perazzo escreve: "Senador eleito Marcio Bittar: um liberal conservador"" (in Portuguese). ContilNet Notícias. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
10. ""O que esperar do "novo" MDB no Congresso?"" (in Portuguese). Gazeta do Povo. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
11. "MDB do Acre declara apoio a Jair Bolsonaro". agazeta.net (in Portuguese). 9 October 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2019.