Martín Torrijos
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| Martín Torrijos | |
| Image:Panama.MartinTorrijos.01.jpg
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 01 September 2004 | |
| Vice President(s) | Samuel Lewis Rubén Arosemena |
| Preceded by | Mireya Moscoso |
| Born | 18 July 1963 Chitré, Herrera, Panama |
| Political party | PRD |
| Spouse | Vivian Fernández |
Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino (born 18 July 1963, in Chitré, Herrera) is a Panamanian politician and the current President of the Republic of Panama.
Torrijos was elected President on 2 May 2004. As the candidate of the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) – running as the Patria Nueva alliance, with the support of the smaller People's Party (PP) – Torrijos won the presidential election with about 47% of the vote, defeating three rivals. His closest challenger, former President Guillermo Endara of the Solidarity Party, conceded defeat after finishing 17 percentage points behind Torrijos.
The result had been widely expected: prior to the vote, Torrijos was well ahead of his three competitors in the opinion polls. He took office on 1 September 2004.
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[edit] Biography
Martín Torrijos is the son of Omar Torrijos, who was Panama's social reformer and military strongman from 1968 to 1981. The younger Torrijos studied political science and economics at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States. He is a graduate of St. John's Northwestern Military Academy located in Delafield, Wisconsin. During the presidency of Ernesto Pérez Balladares (1994–1999) he served as deputy minister for the interior and justice. His most significant achievement as deputy minister was to sign into law the complete privatization of Panama's water utilities. When the new law proved unpopular the PRD effected a reversion to the previous system.
Torrijos ran as the PRD's candidate in the 1999 Panamanian presidential election, finishing in second place after Mireya Moscoso of the Arnulfista Party, whose husband had been deposed by Omar Torrijos in a 1968 coup d'état. Mireya Moscoso's government ended with an approval rate of about 15%, mostly because of corruption scandals and incompetence, on which Torrijos capitalized successfully with marketing campaign that had three major slogans: less corruption, create more jobs and improve security.
[edit] Actions on office
His administration has taken aim at specific projects, including fiscal reforms and social security reforms (now completed) and, as announced on 27 April 2006, the Panama Canal expansion project that was approved in a national referendum on 22 October 2006, in accordance with Constitution.
In November 2006, Torrijos sponsored the Latin American and Caribbean Congress in Solidarity with Puerto Rico’s Independence in favor of Puerto Rico's independence and made an energic call the United States recognition of the independence of said Latin American archipielago.
[edit] References
| Preceded by Mireya Moscoso | President of Panama 2004 – present | Incumbent |
[edit] External links
- President Bush Meets with President Torrijos of the Republic of Panama 16 February 2007de:Martín Torrijos
et:Martín Torrijos el:Μαρτίν Τορίχος es:Martín Torrijos Espino eo:Martín Torrijos fr:Martín Torrijos gl:Martín Torrijos io:Martín Torrijos Espino id:Martín Torrijos he:מרטין טוריחוס oc:Martín Torrijos Espino pl:Martin Torrijos pt:Martín Torrijos fi:Martín Torrijos sv:Martín Torrijos zh:馬丁·托里霍斯
