Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero

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Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero was born on 14 November 1943 in Tegucigalpa in Honduras, and was President of Honduras January 27, 1990 to January 27, 1994, representing the National Party of Honduras (PNH).

Pres. Rafael Leonardo Callejas

1 Career
2 President
3 US visa
4 External links

[edit] Career

He studied agricultural economics at Mississippi State University, becoming an expert on the financial and economic issues connected to agronomy, and in 1968 he was made the Director of Economic Planning by the then President Oswaldo López Arellano. in 1975 another General and President, Juan Alberto Melgar Castro named Callejas Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources. When another general and President Policarpo Paz García took over in a coup in 1978 Callejas remained in his post. During the transition to democracy culminating in November 1981 elections, won by the National Liberal Party (PNH) he rose within the ranks of the PNH, and in 1982 presided over their central committee. He supported former President Ricardo Maduro's Unidad y Cambio (Unity and Change) movement within the PNH that brought more towards the center, and following a liberal economic path. Callejas then created his own faction, the Movimiento Nacional Callejista (National Callejista Movement), to advance his candidature in the 1985 presidential elections. At the time both main political parties allowed various candidates to stand, and while Callejas gained the highest vote of any candidate with 42.6%, the PLH candidates gained 51.5% of the total vote, and therefore it was their most voted for candidate, José Azcona Hoyo, with 27.5% of the vote, who became President.

Callejas Romero has been accused of illicit enrichment and conspiring to sell Honduran issued passports, an event known in local media as the Pasaportazo, the disappareance of US$ 100 Million from the National Oil Fund, builidng a big housing complex that was never used due to environmental issues (Ciudad Mateo) and several other scandals. After more than 11 years of investigation, no accounts linked to these alleged actions have surfaced and no concrete evidence has been forwarded. His sphere of influence includes a former Attorney General (former personal lawyer) who approved and oversaw a dismissal of charges. This led prosecutors around the country to call a strike in protest over the decision. The AG resigned and the dismissal of charges stands today.

[edit] President

He was again the PNH candidate in the 1989 elections where a reported 200,000 identifications from deceased Honduran citizens were used. Callejas won with 52.3% of the votes, becoming the first PNH President since 1972. He had to confront severe economic problems, and he followed the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by cutting public spending, resulting in many public servants being laid off, and by devaluing the Lempira. At the time of the devaluation of the Lempira, the Honduran Central Bank presided at the time by Ricardo Maduro Joest did not have any dollars available to the general public. Instead, people were given back devaluated Lempiras causing a lot of suffering in what was already one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. This led to many strikes and a lot of social agitation, until the United States forgave Honduras a $US430 million debt, in September 1991, relieving the economic hardship.

He presided over a liberal reformist government, opened the Honduran economy to local and foreign investment and managed steady growth during the first three years of his presidency, although during the fourth fiscal indiscipline led to a new set of economic measures to be imposed by the next government.

Although hardly ever recognized, his government had some important accomplishments in the social area, such as the creation of Family Assistance Program (PRAF), The Honduran Fund for Social Investment (FHIS) and many others.

[edit] US visa

On September 19, 2006 he was turned away from the United States after being detained for a number of hours in Miami, the US government cancelling his visa alleging that he was guilty of corruption, even though he has not been charged with any offences.