Antonio Álvarez Desanti
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Antonio Álvarez Desanti, usually known simply as Antonio Álvarez, is a politician with the Union for Change Party (UPC) in Costa Rica. He was the party's candidate in the 2006 presidential election. Álvarez collected 2.44% of the votes.
Antonio was born in San José on July 6, 1958 to Dr. Isaías Álvarez Alfaro and Dora Desanti Arce. He grew up in the Vasconia Neighborhood and attended primary school in the School Calasanz under the teachings of the Escolapian Fathers. During secondary school he became interested in politics and ran for student elections, losing twice, but gaining a recognition of the value of teamwork and the virtues of the democratic procedures. He also developed an interest in law and began to work as an assistant in the law practice of his uncle Jorge Desanti.
After graduation, he studied Law at the University of Costa Rica.
In 1977, while studying the second year of University, he married Attorney Livia Mesa and four years later, in May of 1980, had his first daughter, Adriana. The union was amicably dissolved a year later and they both remained actively involved in the welfare and formation of their daughter.
In 1978, Antonio founded a small financial business and in 1980 a business sowing of the peanut and a process of packing and distribution of tostado. This activity expanded to other related products, like the marañón seed. In 1981 it expanded to include the production of shoes for the sale and distribution in the domestic market.
In 1981 he graduated as Attorney at Law and was appointed to the campaign of Luis Alberto Monge as National Treasurer of the Youth Liberacionista.
In 1983 he married Nuria Marín Raventós, with whom he had a daughter, Andrea, in 1986.
In 1985, President of the Republic, Luis Alberto Monge, named him President of Fertica. In November he was named Executive President of the National Counsel of Production, which he remained in charge of also during the administration Arias Sánchez. During that period, the Counsel achieved an important decrease of its deficit, some activities are transferred to the workers by means of privatization of services and is oriented to the institution toward the strengthening of the productive politics of basic grains, directed exclusively to medium and small producing.
On May 1, 1987, Óscar Arias named him Minister of Agriculture and Cattle. He initiated a program of diversification and expanded into export in new fields.
In 1988 he was named Minister of Government and Police, being emphasized in this accounts receivable by his firm battle against the drug trafficking, whose more prominent fact was the foundation and Financing of the CICAD (Central of Joint Intelligence Anti Drugs). This fact permitted to convert to Costa Rica in an ally of the international antidrug police and to improve notably the management of information on the moving of drugs and the money laundering. Additionally he fortified the antidrug national police, endowing it with instruction, instruments and team. Besides this he managed to develop important actions against international gangsters that were found in Costa Rica. During his management also supports the modernization of the National Press, as well as the National Program of Communal Development.
His family traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Harvard for graduate studies where he received a Masters Degree in International Tax Laws and his wife Nuria in International Politics.
In 1991 he assumed the Sub Headquarters of campaign of José María Figueres. During the management as the President of the Republic, Antonio performed like representative and in 1995 became President of the Legislative Assembly. As the legislator he is recognized for giving a crucial impulse to important laws such as the "Law against the sexual harassment".
In the Convention Liberacionista carried out June 3, 2001, Antonio is advanced as the presidential preliminary candidate and obtained excellent results final of the comtest.
After the August 2004 Distrital Elections, Antonio decided to leave Partido Liberación Nacional. A few months later, he founded Unión para el Cambio, a social-democratic party based on his leadership. On January 4, 2006, he presented his Plan for Government which named a social justice statement as the base for his plan.
