At the Brazilian Academy of Letters, FHC says that Brazil lacks a "democratic soul".

247 - At his induction ceremony at the Brazilian Academy of Letters, former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso remembered his wife Ruth, who passed away in 2008, and spoke about the shortcomings of democracy in his speech.

"Development, democracy, freedom, and equality were and continue to be our obsession. I dedicated my efforts as an intellectual to these goals and tried to achieve them in my political practice," he said.

"Ruth taught me a lot. For example, these movements we've been seeing in the streets, or when I went to the Maré (favela) in Rio's north zone 10 days ago. It's no surprise to me, because it's something Ruth always passed on to me; she had a more open mind than I did and helped me be less academic. She was always more focused on concrete things, which is what I try to be," she explained.

According to him, there has been progress in recent decades, but he stated that citizens still lack a "democratic spirit": "Our culture of favors and privileges, of shirking personal responsibility and attributing blame to others, especially the government and communities, absolves citizens from doing their part, from feeling committed."

FHC (Fernando Henrique Cardoso) referred to the June protests. "The expansion of democracy and freedom of information clashes with the shortcomings of the Republic. To the inadequacy of institutions is added their demoralization, aggravated by episodes of corruption. A crisis of representative democracy is emerging among us, as in other countries."

Several politicians attended FHC's inauguration at the ABL, among them his PSDB colleagues Geraldo Alckmin - governor of São Paulo -, Aécio Neves, senator from Minas Gerais and president of the party, José Serra, former governor of São Paulo, and Tasso Jereissati, former senator. Also present were Supreme Court Justice Marco Aurélio Melo, singer Gilberto Gil, and many academics.

Read the account of his inauguration from Agência Brasil:

Cristina Indian of Brazil
Rio de Janeiro Former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso is currently being sworn in as a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) in downtown Rio de Janeiro. The ceremony is taking place in the Noble Hall of the Petit Trianon. He will occupy chair number 36, which became vacant with the death of journalist João Scantimburgo on March 22 of this year.

Fernando Henrique is the third former Brazilian president elected to the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL). In 1941, Getúlio Vargas assumed chair number 37, and in 1980, José Sarney took possession of chair number 38. The election consisted of 24 votes from academics present at the academy's headquarters in downtown Rio, and 14 by mail. There was also one abstention. Fernando Henrique received 34 of the 39 possible votes and competed against ten other writers.

Former minister Celso Lafer, who holds chair number 14, will give the welcoming address to the academy's newest immoral member. He told Agência Brasil that he will speak about his friendship with Fernando Henrique. "I have a friendship with him that spans more than 40 years. I will talk about what friendship means and what his work represents," he declared.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso served as President of Brazil for two consecutive terms, from 1995 to 2002. He was born in Rio de Janeiro on June 18, 1931, holds a doctorate in sociology, and is a professor emeritus at the University of São Paulo (USP). Outside of Brazil, he also taught at universities such as Stanford, Berkeley, and Brown in the United States; Cambridge in the United Kingdom; Paris-Nanterre and Collège de France in France; and IPES/CEPAL in Santiago, Chile.

Due to his political activities, his political rights were revoked in 1964 by the military regime, and he went into exile in Europe and Chile. When he returned to Brazil, he joined the then-MDB and was elected senator for São Paulo. In 1988, he participated in the founding of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), of which he is honorary president. Before becoming President of the Republic, Fernando Henrique Cardoso served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Finance in the Itamar Franco government (1992-1994).

The new member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) is the author or co-author of books on sociology and analysis of his political career, as well as academic articles. One of his works, Dependency and Development, co-authored with Enzo Falletto and originally published in Spanish in 1969, is considered a landmark in studies on development theory. The book has had dozens of editions in 16 languages.

The latest book, released in June of this year, Thinkers Who Invented Brazil, revisits texts by authors such as Florestan Fernandes, Celso Furtado, and Gilberto Freyre. The themes address democracy, economic development, and the promotion of social justice, among others.

Editing: Aécio Amado