82, father of the president of , met this Wednesday morning (15) in Maceió with national politicians, including the main congressmen allied with (), as well as government ministers and the president of , .
The federal deputy (-PB), appointed as favorite to preside over the House from next month, the former president of the Chamber Eduardo Cunha, the governor of , (), and ministers André Fufuca (Sport) and Celso Sabino (Tourism ) were among those present at the Parque das Flores cemetery.
Flower crowns in the name of President Lula (PT) and the first lady, were highlighted in the space that also displayed the tributes sent by the former president () and former first lady Michelle.
Former Mayor Rodrigo Maia and the mayor of Recife, João Campos (PSB), participated in the wake on Tuesday (14).
The burial was also surrounded by local politicians. Family representatives decided to take Benedito’s body to the place where he was buried as a tribute. Among them were the sons of Arthur Lira, Arthur Filho and Álvaro, as well as Henrique Alves Pinto, who took over as Mayor of Barra de São Miguel.
In his political career, which began in the 60s, Benedito was a member of Arena, the party supporting the military regime (1964-1985), was a state and federal deputy and became a senator in 2010, at the height of his career.
Since 2021, he has been mayor of Barra de São Miguel (AL), a city known for its beaches and vacation homes. In 2024, he was re-elected, with 68% of the votes. He was undergoing cancer treatment.
At the funeral, Arthur Lira said that his father had been fighting the disease for more than 20 years.
“He said that politics served to change the lives of the most humble people. His legacy was always to care about the most needy people. Our last conversation was on the 28th, about the inauguration. He lived, breathed, worked and believed in every day to do politics”, he stated.
