David Waisman
David Waisman Rjavinsthi (born 4 May 1937) is a Peruvian politician.
Early life
Waisman is Jewish; he and his father left Romania in 1935 and came to Lima, where he made a meager living selling cloth and blankets door to door. Waisman joined his father on horseback as he peddled merchandise in small villages. The family returned to Lima when David was in his teens.
Waisman began his career with a small business that sold machinery for making women's clothes, and continued with it for decades.
His wife converted to Judaism, and both of them belong to the Conservative synagogue in Lima.
In 1998 he was elected head of the small business committee in the National Industrial Union. He came out publicly against President Fujimori's economic policy.
Political career
He is a member of Perú Posible since 1994, and was elected as a Congressman in 2000, 2001, and 2006, representing Lima.
In 2000-01 Waisman led a Peruvian congressional investigation commission into embezzlement, drug trafficking, money laundering, arms smuggling and corruption. He uncovered a broad network of corruption involving politicians, judges, businessmen and journalists.
On July 28, 2001, Waisman became Second Vice President of Peru in Alejandro Toledo's government, and served as such from 2001 to 2006. When Raúl Diez Canseco resigned as First Vice President in 2004 after a scandal with his girlfriend, Waisman became the only Vice President of Peru until 2006.
During Toledo's presidency, he was also Minister of Defense.
He attained all of these positions in government despite of the fact that he does not have any post-secondary studies. He actually did not even finish secondary school.
In 2002, Waisman rejected a challenge to a duel with pistols on a Lima beach with independent congressman, Eittel Ramos, to settle a dispute over alleged insults. Ramos said the vice president had insulted him after Ramos criticised first lady Eliane Karp for saying "two-bit parties" were trying to undermine her husband. The vice president "called my attitude cowardly because I said what I said about a woman," Ramos said. He said the invitation to Mr Waisman to a duel was a matter of honour for him. Waisman said he was a civilised and peaceful man, and his moral beliefs prevented him from trying to end another's life.
In 2006, he was initially appointed as a presidential candidate but independent Jeanette Emmanuel later replaced him as Perú Posible's candidate. With her resignation, Rafael Belaúnde was appointed as the new candidate, but he also resigned.
He is considering running for Vice President once more in the upcoming early 2011 elections alongside Luis Castañeda Lossio, after having switched from Peru Posible due to irreconcilable differences with Toledo, to Solidaridad Nacional. He lost his seat in Parliament.