Ricardo Martinelli
| Ricardo Martinelli | |
|---|---|
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| President of Panama | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2009 |
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| Vice President | Juan Carlos Varela |
| Preceded by | Martín Torrijos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 11, 1952 Panama City, Panama |
| Political party | Democratic Change |
| Spouse(s) | Marta Linares |
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Central American Institute of Business Administration |
Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal (born 11 March 1952) is a Panamanian politician and businessman who was elected the 49th President of Panama in 2009. He is a Panamanian of Italian descent from his father's side.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Panama City, Martinelli is the son of Ricardo Martinelli Pardini and Gloria Berrocal Fabrega. He completed his secondary education at Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, Virginia in the United States.[1] In 1973, he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Arkansas.[2] He later earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the INCAE Business School.[1] Martinelli is married to Marta Linares and has three children: Ricardo Martinelli Linares, Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Carolina Martinelli Linares.
[edit] Business career
Martinelli is currently the chairman of the board of Panama's Super 99 supermarket chain.[1] He is chairman of two other companies and sits on the boards of at least eight other companies.
[edit] Politics
During the presidency of Ernesto Pérez Balladares, Martinelli served as Director of Social Security from 1994 to 1996.[1] From September 1999 to January 2003, during the presidency of Mireya Moscoso, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal and as the Minister for Canal Affairs.[1]
Martinelli is the president of the Democratic Change party, which was founded in May 1998.[1] He led the party and was the presidential candidate during the 2004 general election, when his party came last; Martinelli received 5.3% of the vote and came in a distant fourth place in the presidential election.[3]
Martinelli was the leader of Democratic Change and presidential candidate in the 2009 general election.[1] He made promises to cut political corruption and reduce violent crime and spent an estimated $35 million on promoting his campaign.[3] Martinelli was the favourite to win the election and opinion polls gave him a double-digit lead over the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party-People's Party coalition.[3] He had the support of the Alliance for Change, a group of political parties which includes his own Democratic Change party, the Panameñista Party, the Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement and the Patriotic Union Party.[1]
In 2004 Ricardo Martinelli founded "The Ricardo Martinelli Foundation", for which he acts as fundraiser. The Foundation grants more than 8,000 scholarships a year to poor students with good scholastic averages.[citation needed]
On May 3, 2009, Ricardo Martinelli won the national elections by a landslide, with over 60% of the votes compared to his closest rival, Balbina Herrera, who received about 36%. This was the second-largest majority in Panamanian history, and the largest since 1989.[4] He was sworn in on July 1, 2009.[5]
Since coming to office, Martinelli has introduced a number of measures designed to alleviate poverty, including a $100 monthly pension for the elderly, an increase in the minimum wage, and subsidies for students to meet the cost of uniforms and supplies. Since coming to office, Martinelli has introduced a number of measures designed to alleviate poverty, including a $100 monthly pension for the elderly, an increase in the minimum wage, and subsidies for students to meet the cost of uniforms and supplies. [6]
[edit] Honors
On February 20, 2010, the University of Arkansas established the Ricardo A. Martinelli Berrocal Scholarship to provide financial aid to prospective University of Arkansas students from Panama. He was also presented with the Citation of Distinguished Alumnus award, and made an official ambassador of the State of Arkansas by Governor Mike Beebe.[7]
On October 30, 2010, Martinelli was in attendance for the University of Arkansas's homecoming festivities and crowned the 2010 Homecoming King. The Razorback beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 49-14.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Ricardo Martinelli, el magnate de supermercados que ofrece un cambio al país" (in Spanish). EFE. 28 April 2009. http://www.adn.es/politica/20090428/NWS-1830-Martinelli-Ricardo-supermercados-magnate-cambio.html. Retrieved 23 May 2010. (English Translation)
- ^ "University of Arkansas Graduate Wins Panama Presidential Election". Arkansas Alumni Association. Retrieved on May 9, 2009
- ^ a b c "Change expected as Panama votes". BBC. 3 May 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8031425.stm. Retrieved 3 May 2009.
- ^ "Cifras, techos y realidades" (in Spanish). La Prensa. Retrieved on May 4, 2009
- ^ "Pro-business president takes office in Panama". http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhJNCvytHtSUOaYEd3HhbhhJ2-ZgD9960I3G0. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- ^ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Split+with+the+past%3a+with+Panama%27s+Ricardo+Martinelli+and+EL...-a0221432355
- ^ "President Ricardo Martinelli Visits Campus". University of Arkansas Newswire. February 20, 2010. http://newswire.uark.edu/Article.aspx?ID=13592.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ricardo Martinelli |
- Biography by CIDOB Foundation (in Spanish)
- Tupolitica.com News (in Spanish)
- SUBJECT: MARTINELLI WIRETAP REQUEST SHOWS DARK SIDE OF NEW GOP
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Martín Torrijos |
President of Panama 2009–present |
Incumbent |
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