Franco, Itamar Augusto, 1930–2011, Brazilian political leader. He began his political career as mayor (1966–74) of his hometown, Juiz de Fora, and was subsequently (1974, 1982) elected to the Brazilian senate. In 1998 he became governor of Minas Gerais. A member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), he was elected vice president of Brazil in 1989, and in 1992 became president after the resignation of President Collor de Mello. As president (1992–95), he introduced the Real Plan, which helped to curb the nation's runaway inflation. Franco returned to politics in 2010 when, as a member of the Popular Socialist party, he was elected to the senate a third time.
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