Álvaro Colom facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Álvaro Colom
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Colom in 2009
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| 47th President of Guatemala | |
| In office 14 January 2008 – 14 January 2012 |
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| Vice President | Rafael Espada |
| Preceded by | Óscar Berger |
| Succeeded by | Otto Pérez Molina |
| Secretary General of the National Unity of Hope | |
| In office 20 May 2003 – 14 April 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jairo Flores |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Álvaro Colom Caballeros
15 June 1951 Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Died | 23 January 2023 (aged 71) Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Political party | UNE |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of San Carlos of Guatemala |
| Signature |  |
Álvaro Colom Caballeros ( 15 June 1951 – 23 January 2023) was a Guatemalan engineer, businessman and politician who was the President of Guatemala from 2008 to 2012, as well as leader of the National Unity of Hope (UNE). Álvaro Colom Caballeros (Spanish: [ˈalβaɾo koˈlon]; born 15 June 1951) is a Guatemalan politician who was the President of Guatemala from 2008 to 2012, as well as leader of the social-democratic National Unity of Hope (UNE).
Early years
Colom was born in Guatemala City, the son of Antonio Colom Argueta and Yolanda Caballeros Ferraté, being the fourth of five siblings. His uncle, Manuel Colom, was a mayor of Guatemala City who was killed by the military in 1979 just after the creation of his political party was approved. He is also the father of Antonio Colom Szarata, the bass player of a Guatemalan pop rock band, Viento en Contra. He and his third wife, Sandra Torres, divorced in 2011 in order for his wife to be able to run in the 2011 presidential election.
After gaining a degree as an industrial engineer at the University of San Carlos (USAC) he became a businessman involved in a variety of businesses, and a government civil servant, including being the founding General Director of the Fondo Nacional para la Paz and Vice Minister of the Economy before turning to politics. One of his businesses was a "maquila" with associate Luis Mendizabal.
Representing the UNE (Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza) in the 2003 presidential elections, he lost to Óscar Berger on 28 December 2003–the closest a left-wing presidential candidate had come to winning the presidency since democracy was restored in 1985.
President (2008–2012)
He was one of the two candidates to reach the second stage of the 2007 presidential election on 9 September 2007 along with Partido Patriota candidate Otto Pérez Molina. At 10:00 p.m. local time on election night, Colom was declared the newly elected president by over five percentage points, 52.7% to 47.3%, with over 96% of polling places counted, becoming Guatemala's first left-wing president in 53 years. During the presidential campaign, Colom promised to tackle poverty in an effort to reduce the rate of crime in the country.
As President, Colom expanded social programs and access to health, education, and social security. These contributed to a rise in the living standards of the Guatemalan poor.
In 2010 he appointed Helen Mack Chang, a noted human rights activist, to investigate police corruption and make recommendations for changes. She noted that their low pay and poor working conditions made them open to influence and needed to be addressed.
Although he is opposed to the death penalty, Colom stated that he would not pardon those sentenced to death out of respect for the country's laws, although the option to do so was granted in 2008. The last execution in Guatemala, however, took place in 2000 and was since abolished for civilian crimes in 2017.
2018 arrest
On 13 February 2018, Colom was arrested alongside all other members of his former Cabinet "as part of a local corruption investigation". On 3 August 2018, he was released from prison on a 1 million quetzal bail.
Personal life
Colom's first wife, Patricia Szarata, died in 1977 after a car accident. With Patricia, he had two children: Antonio Colom Szarata, the bass player of a Guatemalan pop rock band "Viento en Contra", and Patricia. His second marriage was to Karen Steele, with whom Colom had his son Diego, but that marriage ended in divorce. In June 2002 he married Sandra Torres, also divorced and a mother of four, whom he met during the 1999 election campaign. Torres served as first lady during Colom's presidency until 2011, when the couple divorced so that Torres could run for the 2011 presidential election, as the Constitution prohibits relatives of presidents from running for the same office. The divorce was authorized by a court on 8 April of that year.
Death
On 4 December 2020, Colom's lawyer made public to journalists that Colom was suffering from esophageal cancer and was undergoing treatment.
Colom died from this cancer and pulmonary emphysema, on 23 January 2023, at age 71 at home in Guatemala City during house arrest. Ten days earlier, he had been started on sedation. The government decreed three days of mourning, beginning on 24 January. That day the funeral took place in the chapel of the Las Flores cemetery in Guatemala City, where he was later buried. A state funeral was not held, as the family refused the request.
Honors
- Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon (Republic of China, 2008)
See also
In Spanish: Álvaro Colom para niños
