Raquel Lyra

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Raquel Lyra

| image = RL45 14-09.jpg

| caption =

| alt =

| office = Governor of Pernambuco

| term_start = 1 January 2023

| 1blankname = {{nowrap|Vice Governor}}

| 1namedata = Priscila Krause

| predecessor = Paulo Câmara

| successor =

| office2 = Mayor of Caruaru

| term_start2 = 1 January 2017

| term_end2 = 31 March 2022

| 1blankname2 = Vice Mayor

| 1namedata2 = Rodrigo Pinheiro

| predecessor2 = José Queiroz de Lima

| successor2 = Rodrigo Pinheiro

| office3 = State Deputy of Pernambuco

| term_start3 = 1 January 2011

| term_end3 = 31 December 2016

| constituency3 = At-large

| birth_name = Raquel Teixeira Lyra

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1978|12|2|df=y}}

| birth_place = Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

| party = PSD (since 2025)

| otherparty = PSB (2007–2016)
PSDB (2016–2025)

| spouse = {{marriage|Fernando Lucena||2022|reason=d}}

| children = 2

| relatives = Fernando Lyra (uncle)

| alma_mater = Federal University of Pernambuco

}}

Raquel Teixeira Lyra Lucena (born 2 December 1978) is a Brazilian lawyer, politician and the current governor of Pernambuco since 2023. Lyra was mayor of Caruaru from 2017 to 2022. A member of a political family, she previously served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Pernambuco. She is affiliated to the Social Democratic Party (PSD), but was a member of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB).

Early career

Lyra was born to João Lyra Neto, the former mayor of Caruaru and Governor of Pernambuco, and Mércia Lyra, daughter of the former mayor of Caruaru João Lyra Filho and niece of Itamar Franco's Minister of Justice Fernando Soares Lyra.

Lyra was elected to the state legislative of Pernambuco in the 2010 elections with 49,610 votes.{{cite web|title=Raquel: a mais votada de Caruaru para AL|url=http://www.jornalvanguarda.com.br/v2/?pagina=noticias&id=7050|publisher=Jornal Vanguarda|date=9 October 2010|accessdate=12 July 2019|language=Portuguese}} Lyra was reelected in 2014 with around 80,000 votes, being the most voted state representative in that election.{{cite web|title=Raquel Lyra é terceira deputada estadual mais votada de Pernambuco|url=http://noticias.ne10.uol.com.br/interior/agreste/noticia/2014/10/05/raquel-lyra-e-terceira-deputada-estadual-mais-votada-de-pernambuco-512686.php|publisher=NE10|date=5 October 2014|accessdate=12 July 2019|language=Portuguese}}

Lyra was elected mayor of her hometown Caruaru in 2017 with 53.15% of the vote.{{cite web|title=Com 53,15%, Raquel Lyra vence eleição em Caruaru|url=http://www.diariodepernambuco.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2016/10/30/interna_politica,672700/raquel-lyra-tony-gel-vence-eleicao-em-caruaru.shtml|work=Diário de Pernambuco|language=Portuguese|date=30 October 2016|accessdate=12 July 2019}} She is the first woman to be elected as a mayor of Caruaru.{{cite web|title=Raquel Lyra é a primeira mulher eleita prefeita de Caruaru|url=http://jconline.ne10.uol.com.br/canal/politica/pernambuco/noticia/2016/10/30/raquel-lyra-e-a-primeira-mulher-eleita-prefeita-de-caruaru-258756.php|publisher=NE10|date=30 October 2016|accessdate=12 July 2019|language=Portuguese}}

Governor of Pernambuco

{{Main|2022 Pernambuco gubernatorial election}}In 31 March 2022 she resigned to the office of mayor of Caruaru in order to run in the 2022 Pernambuco gubernatorial election as a candidate.{{Cite web |title=Raquel Lyra renuncia à Prefeitura de Caruaru e anuncia pré-candidatura ao Governo de Pernambuco |url=https://g1.globo.com/pe/caruaru-regiao/noticia/2022/03/31/raquel-lyra-renuncia-a-prefeitura-de-caruaru-e-anuncia-pre-candidatura-ao-governo-de-pernambuco.ghtml |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=G1 |date=31 March 2022 |language=pt-br}} She finished the first round of the elections in the second place, with 20.58% of the valid votes, and advanced to a run-off in the second round with Marília Arraes, a member of Solidariedade. {{Cite web |title=Marília Arraes e Raquel Lyra disputam segundo turno em Pernambuco |url=https://g1.globo.com/pe/pernambuco/eleicoes/2022/noticia/2022/10/02/marilia-arraes-e-raquel-lyra-disputam-segundo-turno-em-pernambuco.ghtml |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=G1 |date=3 October 2022 |language=pt-br}}

Raquel was elected governor of Pernambuco on 30 October 2022, after obtaining 58.70% of the valid votes in the second round and defeating Marília Arraes, who obtained 41.30% of the votes. She is the first female governor of the state of Pernambuco. {{Cite web |last=Nascimento |first=Houldine |date=2022-10-30 |title=Raquel Lyra é eleita governadora de Pernambuco |url=https://www.poder360.com.br/eleicoes/raquel-lyra-e-eleita-governadora-de-pernambuco/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=Poder360 |language=pt-br}}

Personal life

Lyra is the daughter of former mayor of Caruaru and former Governor of Pernambuco João Lyra Neto. She is the widow of Fernando Lucena who died on the day of the first round of the 2022 Brazilian general election. She has two sons: Fernando Jr. and João.{{cite web |title=Lula Tôrres ou Fernando Lucena, quem a prefeita Raquel Lyra apoiara para estadual |url=https://www.dilsonoliveira.com.br/lula-torres-ou-fernando-lucena-quem-a-prefeita-raquel-lyra-apoiara-para-estadual/ |accessdate=12 July 2019 |work=Blog de Dilson Oliveira |language=Portuguese}}

Electoral history

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
Year !Election ! colspan="2" \|Party !Office !Coalition !Partners ! colspan="2" \|Party !Votes !Percent !Result
2010 \| State Election of Pernambuco \| {{party name with color\|Brazilian Socialist Party\|rowspan=2}} \| rowspan="2"\| State Deputy \| Pernambuco Popular Front {{small\|(PRB, PP, PDT, PT, PTB, PSC, PR, PSB, PCdoB)}} \| colspan="3" {{n/a}} \| 49,610 \| 1.10% \| {{yes\|Elected}}
2014 \| State Election of Pernambuco \| Pernambuco Popular Front for State Deputy {{small\|(PSB, PMDB, PCdoB, PR, PSD, PSDB, PPL, DEM, PEN, PTC)}} \| colspan="3" {{n/a}} \| 80,879 \| 1.76% \| {{yes\|Elected}}
rowspan="2"\| 2016 \| rowspan="2"\| Municipal Election of Caruaru \| {{party name with color\|Brazilian Social Democracy Party\|rowspan=5}} \| rowspan="3"\| Mayor \| rowspan="2"\| Together for Caruaru {{small\|(PRB, PSL, PTN, DEM, PRTB, PMN, PSDB, Patriota, PTdoB, PROS, PTB)}} \| rowspan="2"\| Rodrigo Pinheiro \| {{party name with color\|Brazilian Social Democracy Party\|rowspan=2}} \| 44,776 \| 26.08% \| {{maybe\|Runoff}}
93,803 \| 53.15% \| {{yes\|Elected}}
2020 \| Municipal Election of Caruaru \| All for Caruaru {{small\|(Cidadania, DEM, PSDB, PTB, PODE, PSC, PL, PRTB, PMB, Avante, PMN, Patriota)}} \| Rodrigo Pinheiro \| {{party name with color\|Brazilian Social Democracy Party}} \| 114,466 \| 66.86% \| {{yes\|Elected}}
rowspan="2"\| 2022 \| rowspan="2"\| State Election of Pernambuco \| rowspan="2"\| Governor \| rowspan="2"\| Pernambuco Wants to Change {{small\|(PSDB Cidadania Fdr., PRTB)}} \| rowspan="2"\| Priscila Krause \| {{party name with color\|Cidadania\|rowspan=2}} \| 1,009,556 \| 20.58% \| {{maybe\|Runoff}}
3,113,415 \| 58.70% \| {{yes\|Elected}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

Year

!Election

! colspan="2" |Party

!Office

!Coalition

!Partners

! colspan="2" |Party

!Votes

!Percent

!Result

2010