Campos Machado, former state deputy, dies aged 84

Former state deputy Antônio Carlos de Campos Machado died this Saturday, 6th, at the age of 84. He was a criminal lawyer and was a state deputy for São Paulo for eight consecutive terms, from 1987 until the beginning of 2023. In recent days, he had been fighting a worsening case of leukemia. Campos Machado will be buried in the Monumental Hall of the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo (Alesp) this Saturday morning, starting at 11:00.

In a statement released on social media, the family mourned the death and praised the lawyer's career. “His extraordinary personal trajectory, in law and politics, which marked generations, will not be forgotten”, says the text, available in full below.

Gilberto Kassab, Secretary of Government of the State of São Paulo, lamented the death of Campos Machado in X. “A legend of São Paulo and Brazilian politics”, said the secretary. Kassab is a leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), an acronym that has housed Campos Machado since 2023. “Active and influential politician”, said Vinicius Camarinha, leader of the PSDB/Citizenship Federation in Alesp. For Felicio Ramuth, vice-governor of São Paulo, the former state deputy “worked a lot for São Paulo and Brazil.”

State deputy, Campos Machado ran for Mayor of SP and worked with Jânio Quadros

Antonio Carlos Campos Machado was born in Cerqueira César, in the interior of São Paulo, on October 31, 1939. A lawyer, he became known when working for the former president of the Republic Jânio Quadros – his political godfather.

Campos Machado debuted as a state deputy in the 11th Legislature, in 1987, according to data from the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp). He was then elected in the following elections (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018).

In 1988, on a purebred ticket, Campos Machado was runner-up on Marco Antonio Mastrobuono's ticket in the race for Mayor of São Paulo. They finished in sixth place with 35,225 (0.84%) votes. In 1996, the politician was a candidate for mayor of the capital of São Paulo and finished in 7th position with 28,479 (0.54%) of the votes.

In 2000, Campos Machado was vice-president on Geraldo Alckmin's ticket. They finished in third position with 952,890 votes (17.26%). On that occasion, the duo narrowly missed out on the second round against Marta Suplicy (at the time in PT). Second place was Paulo Maluf, with 960,581 voters (17.40%).

The Alckmin-Machado duo returned to run for Mayor of São Paulo in 2008. They finished that election in third place with 22.48% (1,431,670) of the valid votes. The politician was a member of the PTB (from the end of the 1980s until 2020). Afterwards, he became a member of Avante and, since August last year, he was in the PSD.

Campos Machado was influential in São Paulo politics while serving as state deputy. Articulate, he gained respect from notable figures in the political world, such as current vice-president Geraldo Alckmin and former mayor of São Paulo Gilberto Kassab.

Last year, among his last acts in politics, he launched the Parliamentary Front “SP Frente Cidadã”. Campos Machado's idea was to form new political leaders and strengthen democracy through a non-partisan movement.

In 2013, Campos Machado presented the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution of the State of São Paulo 1/2013, which removed investigative powers from prosecutors. The ability to articulate meant that the proposal was processed for months at Alesp and received a favorable opinion from the Constitution and Justice Commission of the Legislative Branch.

At the time, Campos Machado stated that many prosecutors committed “abuses” in their investigations. Campos Machado's PEC provided that investigations into misconduct involving secretaries of State, mayors and deputies would be the exclusive responsibility of the Attorney General of Justice, head of the Public Ministry.

With popular pressure, the PEC was left aside by Alesp parliamentarians. At the time, Campos Machado tried to keep the proposal moving forward, but without support it did not go ahead. He referred to the project as “PEC of Dignity”, while popularly the proposal became known as “PEC of Impunity”.

See the family's full note

It is with a broken soul that we have the painful mission of informing and deeply mourning the death, early this morning, of our great leader Campos Machado, who fought bravely in recent days against a serious case of leukemia.

In this moment of great pain, we ask for prayers and good vibes from your Family, countless Friends and thousands of supporters and admirers.

His extraordinary personal trajectory, in law and politics, which marked generations, will not be forgotten, on the contrary, it will serve, from now on, as a beacon for all who dream of a more just and fraternal society.

Fulfilling his last wish, let's all come together to carry our Citizens' Front forward, in a great chain of faith and unity, as the legacy of one of the country's greatest political party leaders will be, from now on, our flag of honor. fight!

We are all waiting for the tribute ceremony, starting at 11 am this Saturday, in the Monumental Hall of the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo.

God bless you all.