Hélio Fernando Barbosa Lopes

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Hélio Fernando Barbosa Lopes

| image = 2020-02-15 Cerimônia de Celebração de 40 anos da Igreja Internacional da Graça de Deus – Ano da Unção Dobrada (cropped2).jpg

| alt =

| caption =

| office = Member of the Chamber of Deputies
for Rio de Janeiro

| term_start = February 1, 2019

| term_end =

| office1 = Member of the
Municipal Chamber of Nova Iguaçu

| term_start1 = January 1, 2017

| term_end1 = February 1, 2019

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|03|28}}

| birth_place = Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

| party = PRP {{small|(2004–2014)}}
PTN {{small|(2014–2016)}}
PSC {{small|(2016–2018)}}
PSL {{small|(2018–2019)}}
Alliance for Brazil {{small|(Since 2019)}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Military and Politician}}

| military_blank1 = Military service

| military_data1 =

| allegiance = Brazil

| branch = 15px Brazilian Army

| rank = 33px Sub-lieutenant

| unit = * Eastern Military Command

| serviceyears = 1992–2019

| alma_mater = University of Southern Santa Catarina

Brazilian Army Specialized Instruction School

| residence = Rio de Janeiro and Brasília

}}

Hélio Fernando Barbosa Lopes (Rio de Janeiro, March 28, 1969),{{cite web|url=http://divulgacandcontas.tse.jus.br/divulga/#/candidato/2018/2022802018/RJ/190000614709|title=Divulgação de Candidaturas e Contas Eleitorais|access-date=October 31, 2018|work=divulgacandcontas.tse.jus.br|archive-date=July 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730163219/http://divulgacandcontas.tse.jus.br/divulga/#/candidato/2018/2022802018/RJ/190000614709|url-status=dead}} also known as Hélio Negão (literally: big black Hélio) and Hélio Bolsonaro, is a Brazilian politician and former military officer.

A member of PSL (Social Liberal Party), he ran in the 2018 election and was elected Federal Deputy. He received the most votes in the state of Rio de Janeiro,{{cite journal|last=Carneiro|first=Júlia Dias|date=October 12, 2018|title=Deputado federal mais votado no Rio, Hélio Negão desafia quem vê racismo no padrinho Bolsonaro|url=https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/brasil-45831493|journal=BBC News Brasil|language=en-GB}} and is the most-voted Afro-Brazilian in Rio de Janeiro and Brazilian history. Lopes is known for being a close friend of Jair Bolsonaro.{{Cite web|date=December 5, 2018|title=Hélio Negão, Bolsonaro’s ‘brother’ who has sparked jealousy in the president’s party {{!}} Texto em inglês com áudio|url=https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/wiseup-news/helio-negao-bolsonaros-brother-who-has-sparked-jealousy-in-the-presidents-party/|access-date=December 27, 2020|website=Wise Up News: textos em inglês com áudio da Gazeta do Povo|language=en-US|archive-date=May 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526135938/https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/wiseup-news/helio-negao-bolsonaros-brother-who-has-sparked-jealousy-in-the-presidents-party/|url-status=dead}}

Political life

Lopes ran in 2004 as a PRP member to the position of alderman in the municipality of Queimados in the state of Rio de Janeiro, but was not elected, having obtained only 277 votes. In 2014 he ran as a PTN member to the position of Federal Deputy for the state of Rio de Janeiro, but had his candidacy rejected. In 2016 he ran as PSC's candidate to the position of alderman in the municipality of Nova Iguaçu in the state of Rio de Janeiro, but was again not elected, having obtained only 480 votes.

In 2018, Lopes was a candidate from his current party, PSL, to the position of Federal Deputy for the state of Rio de Janeiro, receiving direct support from his friend and fellow party member, Jair Bolsonaro, who was elected President of Brazil. He received 345,234 votes (4.47% invalid votes) for Congress, thus becoming the most-voted candidate for Federal Deputy in the state of Rio de Janeiro in the general elections of 2018, and also the most-voted Brazilian of predominantly African descent in the history of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.

References

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