| Juan Carlos Varela | |
|---|---|
| Vice President of Panama | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office July 1, 2009 |
|
| President | Ricardo Martinelli |
| Preceded by | Samuel Lewis Navarro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 12, 1963 Panama City, Panama |
Juan Carlos Varela Rodríguez (born December 12, 1963) is a Panamanian politician who has been Vice President of Panama since 2009. Along with President Ricardo Martinelli, he was elected on May 3, 2009 and sworn in on July 1, 2009.[1] He also serves as the Minister of Foreign Relations. Since 2006 he has been the President of the Panameñista Party, the second-largest in Panama.
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Born at Panama City, Juan Carlos Varela is an entrepreneur, with family roots in the province of Herrera. Born in Panama, finished high school in Colegio Javier. He graduated with a bachelor of science in industrial engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1985.[2]
In the private sector, Varela has been on the board of Varela Hermanos, a family company, since 1985 and was executive vice president of the company until 2008.
In the political ambit he has experience as chief of campaign (1994), as assistant director and director and was elected presidential candidate in 2008. He then moves forward and joins forces with his rival in the presidential run, the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli, and on May 3, 2009 takes the office as Vice-President of Panama.[3] He is married to journalist Lorena Castillo and has three children: Gian Carlo, who is also an aspiring dj (17), Adrian (13) and Stefan (8).
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Samuel Lewis Navarro |
Vice President of Panama 2009- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Samuel Lewis Navarro |
Minister of Foreign Relations of Panama 2009- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Marco Ameglio |
President of the Panameñista Party 2006- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |