Alejandro Toledo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alejandro Toledo
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Toledo in 2015
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| 56th President of Peru | |
| In office 28 July 2001 – 28 July 2006 |
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| Prime Minister | Roberto Dañino Luis Solari Beatriz Merino Carlos Ferrero Pedro Pablo Kuczynski |
| Vice President | 1st Vice President Raúl Diez Canseco (2001–2004) 2nd Vice President David Waisman |
| Preceded by | Valentín Paniagua |
| Succeeded by | Alan García |
| President of Possible Peru | |
| In office 1 March 1994 – 13 July 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Party established |
| Succeeded by | Party dissolved |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique
28 March 1946 Cabana, Peru |
| Political party | Possible Peru (1994–2017) |
| Spouse | Eliane Karp |
| Alma mater | University of San Francisco (BA) Stanford University (MA, PhD) |
| Profession | Economist, politician, academic |
Alejandro Celestino Toledo Manrique (born 28 March 1946) is a former politician who was the President of Peru from 2001 to 2006. He became famous for leading the opposition against President Alberto Fujimori. Toledo was the first democratically elected president of Peru with Indigenous family roots.
He studied at the University of San Francisco and Stanford University. After working as a professor and an expert on economics, he started his own political party, Possible Peru. He ran for president in 1995 and again in 2000. In 2001, he won the election and became president.
During his presidency, Peru's economy grew. He encouraged companies from other countries to invest in Peru and signed free trade agreements. He also started projects to build new roads and schools. However, his time as president also had problems. He faced many protests and his popularity dropped. After his presidency, he faced serious legal troubles. In 2024, a court found that he had improperly accepted money from a company in exchange for a large government project.
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Early Life and Education
Alejandro Toledo was born into a poor family of Quechua heritage in a small village in Peru. He was one of sixteen children. When he was six, his family moved to the city of Chimbote. As a boy, he worked shining shoes and selling newspapers to help his family.
A teacher encouraged him to stay in school, so he studied hard while working on weekends. His life changed when he met two American Peace Corps volunteers. They were impressed by his hard work and helped him apply for a scholarship to study in the United States.
With the help of a scholarship and by working part-time, Toledo earned a degree in economics from the University of San Francisco. He later went to Stanford University, where he earned two master's degrees and a PhD.
Entering Politics
Toledo first ran for president in 1995 but did not win. However, his political party, Possible Peru, became more popular. He ran for president again in the 2000 election against the current president, Alberto Fujimori.
Toledo became the main leader of the opposition. He promised to make Peru more democratic and improve life for its citizens. He also spoke about his Indigenous background, and many hoped he would pay more attention to the needs of Indigenous people in Peru.
The 2000 election was very controversial. At first, it seemed like Toledo was winning, but then the results changed to show Fujimori in the lead. Many people, including Toledo, believed the election was unfair. Toledo refused to take part in a second round of voting. After large protests and a major scandal involving one of Fujimori's top advisors, Fujimori left the country and resigned. A temporary president organized new elections in 2001.
In the 2001 election, Toledo ran against former president Alan García. Toledo won the election, becoming the first democratically elected South American president of Indigenous descent in 500 years.
Presidency (2001–2006)
When Toledo became president, many Peruvians had high hopes. He promised to create jobs, fight poverty, and build a better future. However, it was difficult to keep all of his promises, which made many people unhappy.
Working for Peru
Toledo's government focused on improving the economy. He encouraged foreign companies to invest in Peru and signed free trade agreements with other countries. These policies helped Peru's economy grow steadily during his time in office.
He also started several social programs.
- Education: Toledo's government tried to improve schools. One program, called Project Huascaran, aimed to connect classrooms to a computer network for learning.
- Healthcare: He created a free health insurance program called Seguro Integral de Salud (SIS). This program helped millions of poor Peruvians in rural areas get access to doctors and medicine.
- Housing: His government helped build over 100,000 new homes for poor families.
Support for Indigenous People
As a president with Indigenous roots, Toledo took steps to support Indigenous communities. His wife, Eliane Karp, led a new government agency for Indigenous and Afro-Peruvian people. This agency worked to protect their rights and include them in government decisions.
Toledo also made bilingual education (teaching in both Spanish and native languages) a priority in schools. He held a special inauguration ceremony at the famous Inca site of Machu Picchu to show his commitment to Peru's Indigenous heritage.
Challenges and Protests
Despite economic growth, Toledo's presidency was difficult. Many workers went on strike, demanding higher pay. Toledo had promised to raise salaries, but the government did not have enough money to do so.
His plan to sell some state-owned companies also led to violent protests. People were worried about losing their jobs and paying more for services like electricity. Because of the protests, Toledo had to cancel the sale of two electric companies. These challenges caused his approval ratings to become very low.
After the Presidency
After his term ended in 2006, Toledo worked at several universities in the United States, including Stanford University and the Brookings Institution. He gave speeches around the world about democracy and economic development. He also founded the Global Center for Development and Democracy, an organization that works to support democracy and reduce poverty.
Toledo ran for president again in 2011 and 2016 but was not successful.
Legal Problems
After his presidency, Toledo faced serious legal accusations. He was accused of accepting money from a Brazilian construction company, Odebrecht, in exchange for giving the company a contract to build a major highway.
In 2019, he was arrested in the United States. Peru had asked for him to be sent back to face the charges. In April 2023, he was extradited, or sent back, to Peru. In October 2024, a court in Peru found him guilty and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.
See also
In Spanish: Alejandro Toledo para niños
- Politics of Peru
