Early years Genro was born to a working-class family in
São Borja, Rio Grande do Sul, Genro was active in politics from a young age. In the early 1980s, Genro was a spokesman for the
Communist Revolutionary Party (PRC) along with his brother, Adelmo Genro Filho. As a member of the Workers' Party (PT), he was elected deputy mayor of
Porto Alegre by the "Popular Front". He accumulated the position of vice mayor with that of government secretary. In 1992, Genro was elected to the position of
Mayor of Porto Alegre, though he lost reelection in 1996. In
1998, he was speculated to be a potential presidential candidate for the PT in the place of Lula, though Lula ended up running
2000-present As a result of the
Mensalão scandal, Genro served the remainder of
José Genoíno's term as party president in 2005.
Ricardo Berzoini was elected to the post later that year. Following his service as interim president, Genro was a political adviser to
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, former
President of Brazil (2006–2010), during the contentious
2006 Presidential campaign. On 16 March 2007, he became the new Minister of Justice in Lula's
cabinet. When Italian far-left terrorist
Cesare Battisti of the
Armed Proletarians for Communism, wanted for four murders, was arrested in Rio de Janeiro in March 2007 by Brazilian and French police officers, Genro granted him status as a political refugee. It was a controversial decision, which divided Italy and the Brazilian and international press. In November 2009, the Brazilian Supreme Court declared Genro's grant of refugee status illegal. In
2010, Genro was mentioned as a possible successor to Lula, though the PT nomination went to
Dilma Rousseff. == Personal life ==