Eduardo Leite

Eduardo Figueiredo Cavalheiro Leite (born 10 March 1985) is the governor of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. He was elected with 3.128.317 votes, equivalent to 53.62% of the valid votes in the 2018 elections. Born in Pelotas on March 10, 1985, his term of office ends in 2022. He reached the position of governor when he was 33 years old, becoming the youngest governor in Brazil.

Eduardo Leite
39th Governor of Rio Grande do Sul
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2019
Vice Governor	Ranolfo Vieira Júnior
Preceded by	José Ivo Sartori
36th Mayor of Pelotas
In office 1 January 2013 – 1 January 2017
Vice Mayor	Paula Mascarenhas
Preceded by	Adolfo Antônio Fetter Júnior
Succeeded by	Paula Mascarenhas
President of the Municipal Chamber of Pelotas
In office 1 January 2011 – 1 January 2013
Preceded by	Milton Rodrigues Martins
Succeeded by	Professor Adinho
Councillor of Pelotas
In office 1 January 2009 – 1 January 2013
Personal details
Born	Eduardo Figueiredo Cavalheiro Leite (1985-03-10) 10 March 1985 Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Political party	PSDB
Alma mater	Federal University of Pelotas

Leite began his career path in politics early. He was mayor of Pelotas, a city in the South of Rio Grande do Sul, from 2013 to 2016, after being elected with approximately 110 thousand votes. Prior to that, he served as secretary of the City Hall, alderman and president of the City Council, also in Pelotas.

During his term as mayor of his hometown, Leite modernized management methods and prioritized fiscal austerity, which resulted in balanced public accounts. He was able to guarantee funding for major infrastructure works and the remodeling of the urban mobility system, and he also improved Health and Education indicators. He completed his term with 87% of popular approval in public opinion surveys. Since he believes re-election is a problem in current Brazilian political system, he did not run for a new term. Instead, Leite nominated his vice-mayor, Paula Schild Mascarenhas, as a candidate, and she won the election with approximately 112 thousand votes.

Eduardo Leite was chosen by “Americas Quarterly”, a North-American magazine, as one of the five most promising politicians under 40 in Latin America. He went to Columbia University, in New York City, USA, where he studied Public Policy, and is currently taking a master's degree in Public Management at Fundação Getúlio Vargas, in São Paulo.[1]