Carlos Alvarado Quesada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlos Alvarado Quesada
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| 48th President of Costa Rica | |
| In office 8 May 2018 – 8 May 2022 |
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| Vice President | Epsy Campbell Barr Marvin Rodríguez Cordero |
| Preceded by | Luis Guillermo Solís |
| Succeeded by | Rodrigo Chaves Robles |
| Minister of Labor and Social Security | |
| In office 28 March 2016 – 19 January 2017 |
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| President | Luis Guillermo Solís |
| Preceded by | Víctor Morales Mora |
| Succeeded by | Alfredo Hasbum Camacho |
| Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion | |
| In office 10 July 2014 – 29 March 2016 |
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| President | Luis Guillermo Solís |
| Preceded by | Fernando Marín Rojas |
| Succeeded by | Emilio Arias Rodríguez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada
14 January 1980 San José, Costa Rica |
| Political party | Citizens' Action Party |
| Spouse |
Claudia Dobles Camargo
(m. 2010) |
| Children | Gabriel |
| Education | University of Costa Rica (BA, MA) University of Sussex (MA) |
Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada (born 14 January 1980) is a politician, writer, and journalist from Costa Rica. He served as the 48th president of Costa Rica from 8 May 2018 to 8 May 2022. He is a member of the Citizens' Action Party (PAC). Before becoming president, Alvarado was the Minister of Labor and Social Security under President Luis Guillermo Solís.
When he became president, Carlos Alvarado was 38 years old. This made him the youngest Costa Rican president since Alfredo González Flores, who took office in 1914 at age 36.
Contents
Education and Early Life
Carlos Alvarado studied at the University of Costa Rica. He earned a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's degree in political science. A bachelor's degree is usually the first degree you get after high school, and a master's degree is a higher-level degree you can get after that.
From 2008 to 2009, he received a special scholarship called the Chevening Scholarship. This allowed him to study in England. He earned another master's degree in development studies from the University of Sussex in Falmer, England.
Alvarado was born on 14 January 1980, in Pavas, a district in San José, Costa Rica. His father, Alejandro Alvarado Induni, was an engineer. His mother, Adelia Quesada Alvarado, was a homemaker. He has an older brother, Federico, and a younger sister, Irene.
He met his wife, Claudia Dobles Camargo, when they were children. They rode the same school bus to elementary school. Carlos Alvarado is Roman Catholic.
Career Highlights
As a Writer
Carlos Alvarado Quesada is also a writer. In 2006, he published a collection of stories called Transcripciones Infieles. In the same year, he won an award for his novel La Historia de Cornelius Brown. In 2012, he published a historical novel titled Las Posesiones. This book tells about a difficult time in Costa Rica's history during World War II. At that time, the government took properties from people of German and Italian descent.
Early Political Roles
Before becoming president, Alvarado worked in several important roles. He was an advisor for the Citizen Action Party in the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica from 2006 to 2010. He also worked as a consultant for the Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom.
He was a manager at Procter & Gamble for Latin America. He also directed the communication for Luis Guillermo Solís's presidential campaign. Later, he taught at the University of Costa Rica and the Universidad Latina de Costa Rica.
During President Solís Rivera's time in office, Carlos Alvarado served as Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion. He was also the Executive President of the Joint Social Welfare Institute. This organization helps fight poverty and provides government aid to people who need it.
After another minister resigned, Alvarado was appointed Minister of Labor. In this role, he worked to reduce some benefits in government worker agreements. He also helped make the process for teaching professionals to get pensions much faster. He worked with workers, employers, and the government to agree on fair wages for the private sector. He also helped create a plan to reduce informal work, which is work that isn't officially recorded or taxed.
President of Costa Rica (2018–2022)
In the 2018 presidential election, Carlos Alvarado Quesada won with 61% of the votes. He defeated Fabricio Alvarado Muñoz. He officially became president on 8 May 2018.
As president, Carlos Alvarado Quesada focused on making Costa Rica's economy more environmentally friendly. This means reducing pollution and greenhouse gases. He set a big goal for the country to have zero net emissions by 2050. He also planned to build an electric train system for the capital city, San José. This is because a lot of the country's pollution comes from transportation. In February 2019, he launched a plan to completely make the country's economy carbon-free. He said this was "the great challenge of our generation."
In December 2018, he supported a law that included changes to taxes and public sector salaries. These changes were made to help improve the country's economic situation. These actions led to a large general strike.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government faced economic challenges. Unemployment increased, and more people lived below the poverty line. The country's public debt also grew. These economic difficulties affected many people in Costa Rica.
At the end of Carlos Alvarado's time as president, his approval rating was about twelve percent. His successor, Rodrigo Chaves Robles, took office on 8 May 2022.
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Alvarado Quesada para niños
