Ricardo Maduro

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Ricardo Maduro

Ricardo Rodolfo Maduro Joest (born April 20, 1946 in Panama) is a former President of Honduras and Bank of Honduras chairman. Maduro graduated from the Lawrenceville School and later Stanford University. He was President between January 27, 2002, and January 27, 2006, representing the National Party of Honduras (PNH). He is of Jewish descent, but remains a practicing Catholic.

Maduro's first marriage produced three daughters and a son, Ricardo Ernesto, who was kidnapped at age 25 on April 23, 1997. Ricardo Ernesto's body was discovered two days later. His death inspired Maduro to aspire to the presidency and gave him the popularity that allowed him to first register and then be elected as a presidential candidate, in spite of a constitutional ban on those not born in Honduras from becoming President. This constitutional ban created great controversy before the 2001 elections. Having been chosen as the PNH candidate, he was eventually allowed to stand. In his campaign he promised to tackle crime and the gang (maras), and immediately brought troops out on to the streets of the large cities to accompany the local police. The PNH held National Congress passed laws making illicit association a crime, which have seen hundreds of gang members put behind bars.

In October 2002, he married the Spanish Aguas Santas Ocaña Navarro, whom he met when she was a member of the Spanish Embassy in Honduras, with whom he has adopted five children. Shortly after leaving office, Maduro and Ocaña filed for divorce. She consequently moved to Nicaragua with her adoptive children to direct a non-profit organization devoted to children. Maduro remained in Tegucigalpa. Maduro's eldest son is a United States citizen and lives in the U.S.

On 1 May 2005 the plane Maduro was traveling in crashed into the Caribbean Sea off the shore of Tela. Maduro, his daughter Lorena, and the pilot were reportedly not seriously injured and were rescued by local residents. Maduro was taken to a hospital in Comayagua to recover.

On November 27, 2005 Maduro presided over a new set of presidential and general elections which saw the official party lose the presidency to the Liberal Party of Honduras (PLH) and its candidate Manuel Zelaya. Zelaya succeeded Maduro on January 27, 2006.

He currently serves as President of Inversiones la Paz in Tegucigalpa, and is active in the education organization he created in honor of his son, the Fundacion para la Educacion Ricardo Ernesto Maduro Andreu (FEREMA).