César Gaviria
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| César Gaviria | |
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| In office August 7, 1990 – August 7, 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Virgilio Barco |
| Succeeded by | Ernesto Samper |
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| Born | March 31, 1947 Pereira, Risaralda |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Ana Milena Muñoz de Gaviria |
César Augusto Gaviria Trujillo (born March 31, 1947 in Pereira, Risaralda) is a Colombian politician and a Latin American statesman. He served as President of Colombia from 1990 to 1994, and Secretary General of the Organization of American States from 1994 until 2004.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Pereira, Gaviria has been an important figure in Colombian politics for over 30 years. He was first elected to Congress in 1974. He served in Virgilio Barco's government, first as minister of finance and later as minister of the interior.
But before he served in Colombian politics, he studied at Universidad de los Andes in the 1960's. He established AIESEC there, and then in 1968 he was elected President of AIESEC in Colombia. This began his public service career.
At 23 he was elected councilman of his hometown in Pereira. 4 years later he became Mayor. In 1974 he was elected into the House of Representatives, before rising to the top in 1983. Three years later he became co-chair of the Colombian Liberal Party.
He was the debate chief of Luis Carlos Galán during the latter's 1989 presidential campaign, which was cut short by his violent death. After this tragedy, Gaviria was then proclaimed as the political successor to Galán.
[edit] Presidency
| Colombia's four failed peace talks | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | President | Ended Because |
| 1982-1985 | Belisario Betancur | Most Supreme Court Justices were killed when M-19 commandos and the Army fought for control of the building |
| 1986-1990 | Virgilio Barco Vargas | FARC ambush killed 26 soldiers in Caquetá |
| 1990-1992 | César Gaviria Trujillo | FARC attack on the Senate President. FARC kidnapping and killing of an ex-cabinet member. |
| 1998-2002 | Andrés Pastrana Arango | FARC kidnapping of Senator. |
In 1990 he was elected President of the Republic for the Liberal Party. During his government the new constitution was adopted in 1991, and he fought against the Cali drugs cartel and various guerrilla factions.
Under his presidency, the prison La Catedral was built under Pablo Escobar specifications and Pablo Escobar was imprisoned there, where he continued to control his drug empire, judging and killing inside the prison several crime partners. On July 20th, 1992 Pablo Escobar fled the prison after knowing he was going to be moved to another prison.
[edit] Secretary General of the OAS
In 1994, Gaviria was elected Secretary General of the OAS (his period beginning after the end of his presidential term in August 1994). Reelected in 1999, he has worked extensively on behalf of Latin America; between November 2002 and May 2003, he served as a broker in finding a solution to the internal Venezuelan political crisis between President Hugo Chávez and the opposition.
[edit] Advisor and Scholar
After leaving the OAS Gaviria became a founding partner at the international advisory firm The Otun Group, located in New York City providing political risk and strategic advice to corporations, investment professionals and individuals with operations and investments in Latin America.
At the same time Columbia University appointed Mr. Gaviria as a Senior Research Scholar for both the School of International and Pubilc Affairs, SIPA and Columbia Business School, where he advised students on topics related to the Western Hemisphere.
[edit] Current
Returning to Colombia in early 2005 after several visits in late 2004, Gaviria once again became active in politics, and was proclaimed as the sole chief of the Colombian Liberal Party in June 2005.
On April 27, 2006 his sister Liliana Gaviria was killed by unknown gunmen. Apparently Liliana was coming home in her car when several people in a red Mazda 626 intercepted her and her bodyguard. It is believed that the gunmen tried to kidnap her and in an exchange of fire with the bodyguard she received a shot to her heart (through the abdomen). Her body, which also presented a head bruise, was recovered 3 kilometers away from her house alongside a car. President Álvaro Uribe has offered 1,000,000,000 pesos (around 350,000 euros, or 500,000 USD) for any information regarding the location of the persons responsible for her death.
Member of the Club of Madrid[2]. [1]
[edit] References
- ^ (English) [http://www.clubmadrid.org The Club of Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members – 66 democratic former heads of state and government.
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[edit] External link
| Preceded by Virgilio Barco |
President of Colombia 1990–1994 |
Succeeded by Ernesto Samper |
| Preceded by João Clemente Baena Soares |
Secretary General of the Organization of American States 1994-2004 |
Succeeded by Miguel Ángel Rodríguez |
