Alfonso Portillo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alfonso Portillo
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2000
|
|
| 45th President of Guatemala | |
| In office 14 January 2000 – 14 January 2004 |
|
| Vice President | Juan Francisco Reyes López |
| Preceded by | Álvaro Arzú |
| Succeeded by | Óscar Berger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 September 1951 Zacapa, Guatemala |
| Political party | Vision with Values (2022–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Guatemalan Christian Democracy (1993–1995) Guatemalan Republican Front (1995–2004) Independent (2004–2017) Todos (2017–2020) Independent (2020–2022) |
| Spouses |
María Eugenia Padúa González
(m. 1981; div. 1990)Evelyn Morataya
(m. 1995; div. 2005) |
Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera (born 24 September 1951) is a Guatemalan politician. He served as the 45th president of Guatemala from 2000 to 2004.
He became president on 14 January 2000, representing the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) party. Years after leaving office, Portillo faced legal issues in the United States related to money transfers.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Portillo was born in Zacapa, Guatemala. He studied in Mexico, where he reportedly earned degrees in social sciences. However, there has been some discussion about whether all his academic claims can be fully proven.
Political Journey
In the late 1970s, Portillo became involved with groups that supported indigenous people and social change in Mexico and Guatemala. During the 1980s, he taught political science at a university in Mexico. During this time, an incident occurred where two students were shot. Portillo stated it was in self-defense, and he was never charged for it. In 1995, a Mexican judge closed the case.
In 1989, Portillo returned to Guatemala. He joined the Social Democratic Party, one of the few left-leaning parties that survived difficult times. He then moved to the Guatemalan Christian Democrats (DCG), which was the ruling party. In 1992, he became the Director of the Guatemalan Institute of Social and Political Sciences. He later became the DCG's Secretary General in 1993 and was elected as a deputy (a type of representative) to the Congress of Guatemala in 1994. He also worked as an adviser for a major newspaper.
Joining the FRG Party
In April 1995, Portillo and several other deputies left the DCG party due to disagreements. On 20 July 1995, he joined the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG). The leader of the FRG, Efraín Ríos Montt, could not run for president because he had previously taken power in a coup d'etat. So, the FRG chose Portillo as their candidate for the 1995 presidential election. He won 22% of the votes in the first round but lost to Álvaro Arzú in the second round on 7 January 1996.
Becoming President
In July 1998, the FRG party chose Portillo to be their presidential candidate again for the next election. Portillo promised to bring honesty to politics, fight against corruption, and protect the indigenous population and poor farmers. He also promised to improve safety because crime was a growing problem.
During this campaign, the past incident in Mexico was brought up again. Portillo openly admitted that he had shot the two students but insisted it was in self-defense. He explained that he left Mexico to avoid trial because of his political connections and because he was a foreigner. These explanations made many people see Portillo as a strong and determined politician.
On 7 November 1999, he won the first round of the election with 47.8% of the votes. In the second round on 26 December, he won decisively against Óscar Berger with 68.3% of the votes.
His Time as President (2000–2004)
When Portillo became president, he said that Guatemala was in a difficult situation. He promised to investigate corruption in the government. On 9 August 2000, he stated that previous governments had been involved in human rights issues.
While he aimed to make positive changes, his government soon faced many challenges, including accusations of financial wrongdoing. His government was accused of large-scale financial mismanagement. During 2001, there were many protests, which affected his government's standing.
In the first round of the November 2003 elections, Portillo supported former leader Efraín Ríos Montt to become the next president. However, the FRG party lost to Óscar Berger Perdomo's GANA party. Óscar Berger became president on 14 January 2004, replacing Portillo.
After His Presidency
After his time as president, Portillo's special protection from legal action was removed on 19 February 2004. He then went to Mexico. He was accused of approving large money transfers to the Guatemalan defense department, where authorities believed much of the money was misused.
After a long legal process, Mexico agreed to send Portillo back to Guatemala on 30 October 2006. He was finally sent back on 7 October 2008.
In January 2010, reports said that the U.S. government was looking for Portillo in connection with money laundering accusations. On 26 January 2010, he was arrested in Guatemala.
On 9 May 2011, a Guatemalan court cleared Portillo and his associates of some charges, saying there wasn't enough evidence. However, the Public Ministry (the prosecution) disagreed and planned to appeal.
On 26 August 2011, a higher court ruled that he should be sent to the United States. He was sent to the U.S. on 24 May 2013, to face money laundering charges. He was accused of moving a large amount of Guatemalan money through U.S. banks.
On 18 March 2014, Portillo pleaded guilty in a U.S. court. On 22 May 2014, the judge sentenced him to 70 months (about 5 years and 10 months) in prison and ordered him to pay back some money.
On 25 February 2015, Portillo was released from prison in Denver, U.S., and returned to Guatemala City.
Images for kids
-
A robot for kids
See also
In Spanish: Alfonso Portillo para niños
