| Gerson Camata | |
| Office: | Senator for Espírito Santo |
| Term Start: | February 1, 1987 |
| Term End: | February 1, 2011 |
| Office2: | Governor of Espírito Santo |
| Term Start2: | March 15, 1983 |
| Term End2: | May 14, 1986 |
| Office3: | Federal Deputy for Espírito Santo |
| Term Start3: | February 1, 1975 |
| Term End3: | February 1, 1983 |
| Office4: | State Deputy of Espírito Santo |
| Term Start4: | February 1, 1971 |
| Term End4: | February 1, 1975 |
| Office5: | Councillor of Vitória |
| Term Start5: | February 1, 1967 |
| Term End5: | February 1, 1971 |
| Birth Date: | 29 June 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Castelo, Espírito Santo |
| Death Place: | , Vitória, Espírito Santo |
| Death Cause: | Assassination by firearm |
| Spouse: | Rita Camata (1981–2018; his death) |
| Party: | Brazilian Social Democracy Party |
| Otherparty: | ARENA |
| Education: | Federal University of Espírito Santo |
| Occupation: | Journalist Politician |
Gerson Camata (June 29, 1941 – December 26, 2018) was a Brazilian journalist and politician. Camata served in Federal Senate for three terms from 1987 until 2011.[1] He was also the first person directly elected Governor of Espírito Santo, an office he held from 1983 to 1986, following the restoration of democracy in the 1980s.[1]
On December 26, 2018, Camata was shot and killed outside a restaurant in the upscale neighborhood of Vitória, Espírito Santo by his former aide.[1] [2] [3]
Camata graduated from Federal University of Espírito Santo with a degree in economics. He worked as a journalist and host for Radio Espírito Santo, where he covered crime and the police.[1]
In 1967, Camata began his political career as a Vitória city alderman for the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA), the party of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil at the time.[1] He served on the city council from 1967 until 1970, when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Espírito Santo as an ARENA state deputy.[1]
In 1974, Camata was elected to the federal Chamber of Deputies as a member of ARENA. He won re-election to a second term in the Chamber of Deputies in 1978.[1] In 1979, with the legalization of opposition parties, Camata left ARENA and joined the newly formed Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) in opposition to the government.[1]
In 1982, Camata announced his candidacy for Governor of Espírito Santo. He won the 1982 Espírito Santo gubernatorial election with 67% of the vote, becoming the first person directly elected as Espírito Santo's governor during the transition to democracy.[1] He served as governor from 1983 until 1986, when he resigned to run for the Federal Senate.[1] His vice governor,, succeeded Camata as the new governor of Espírito Santo.[1]
Camata was elected to his first term in the Federal Senate in the 1986 Brazilian legislative election. He won re-election to Senate in the 1994 and 2002 legislative elections.[1] Camata served the Senate for twenty-four years (and three full terms) until his retirement in 2011.[1] During his final term, Camata simultaneously served as the state Secretary of Development, Infrastructure and Transport under Governor Paulo Hartung, beginning in May 2006.[1]
On December 26, 2018, Camata was shot and killed by a former aide in the neighborhood of Vitória, Espírito Santo. The shooting occurred outside a restaurant near the intersection of Chapot Presvot and Joaquim Lyrio streets.[1] Camata was shot in the left shoulder. The bullet exited through his right shoulder, causing damage to his internal organs.[1] He did not survive the attack and died at the age of 77.[1]
Police captured the assailant, Marcos Vinícius Moreira Andrade, a former aide to Camata, just minutes after the attack.
Camata, a resident of the Ilha do Frade neighborhood of Vitória, was survived by his wife, Rita Camata, a former state and federal deputy, and their two children, Bruno and Enza Rafaela.[1] Espírito Santo Governor Paulo Hartung declared seven days of mourning following Camata's murder.[1]