Carlos Salinas de Gortari facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlos Salinas de Gortari
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Official portrait, 1988
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| 60th President of Mexico | |
| In office 1 December 1988 – 30 November 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Miguel de la Madrid |
| Succeeded by | Ernesto Zedillo |
| Secretary of Programming and Budget of Mexico | |
| In office 1 December 1982 – 5 October 1987 |
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| President | Miguel de la Madrid |
| Preceded by | Ramón Aguirre Velázquez |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Aspe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 April 1948 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Citizenship |
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| Political party | Institutional Revolutionary Party |
| Spouses |
Cecilia Occelli
(m. 1972; div. 1995)Ana Paula Gerard
(m. 1995) |
| Relations | Raúl Salinas de Gortari (brother) José Francisco Ruiz Massieu (brother-in-law, deceased) Elí de Gortari (uncle, deceased) |
| Children | 6, including Emiliano |
| Parents | Raúl Salinas Lozano Margarita de Gortari Carvajal |
| Education | National Autonomous University of Mexico (BA) Harvard University (MPA, MA, PhD) |
| Signature |  |
Carlos Salinas de Gortari (born 3 April 1948) is a Mexican economist and former politician. He served as the 60th president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. He was a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Before becoming president, he worked in the Secretariat of Programming and Budget. He was elected president in 1988.
Salinas de Gortari was an economist, which was different from many past Mexican presidents who were lawyers. During his time as president, he focused on free trade and economic policies. He privatized many state-owned companies. He also helped Mexico join NAFTA, a big trade agreement. His presidency was seen by some as a time of modernization for Mexico. However, he also faced criticism and challenges, especially towards the end of his term.
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Early Life and Education
Carlos Salinas de Gortari was born on April 3, 1948. He was the second son of Raúl Salinas Lozano, an economist and government official. His mother was Margarita De Gortari De Salinas. His father had also been a minister in the government.
Salinas studied economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. He was active in the PRI youth movement. He was also a skilled horseman and competed in the 1971 Pan American Games.
He continued his studies at Harvard University in the United States. He earned a master's degree in Public Administration in 1973. He then received his PhD from Harvard Kennedy School in 1978. His doctoral paper was about political participation and public investment in Mexico.
Personal Life
Carlos Salinas met his first wife, Cecilia Yolanda Occelli González, when they were children. They started dating as teenagers and married on April 15, 1972, in Mexico City. They had three children: Cecilia, Emiliano, and Juan Cristobal.
Cecilia Occelli González was the First Lady of Mexico during his presidency. After his term, they divorced in 1995.
Later in 1995, Salinas married his second wife, Ana Paula Gerard Rivero. They had three children together: Ana Emilia Margarita, Patricio Gerónimo Gerardo, and Mateo. In 2021, he also gained Spanish nationality.
Early Political Career
President Miguel de la Madrid chose Salinas to be the Minister of Planning and Budget in 1982. This was an important job because Mexico was facing big financial problems. Salinas worked to deal with the economic crisis. He also made alliances with other powerful people in the government.
Presidential Election of 1988
The 1988 election was a very challenging time for the PRI. For the first time, the party faced strong opposition. Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas ran as a candidate from a left-wing group. He became very popular and was a serious threat to the PRI.
On election day, July 6, 1988, the computer system used to count votes "crashed." When it was fixed, Carlos Salinas was declared the winner. Many people believed there was electoral fraud, and the phrase se cayó el sistema (meaning "the system crashed") became a common way to talk about election fraud. The Congress later voted to destroy the election documents without opening them.
Some people believe Salinas won legally, even if it was by a small margin. Years later, former President Miguel de la Madrid said that the PRI had "at least lost a significant number of voters" in that election.
Presidency (1988–1994)
Carlos Salinas became president on December 1, 1988. He aimed to "modernize" Mexico. He wanted to update politics, the economy, and society. During his six-year term, major changes were made to the Mexican Constitution. These changes affected politics, relations with the Catholic Church, and land reform.
First Actions as President
Right after becoming president, Salinas took strong actions. His government sold many state-owned companies, including Teléfonos de México. They also privatized banks that had been taken over by the government before. The money from these sales helped Mexico pay off its debts.
Economic Changes
Salinas continued the economic policies of the previous president. He privatized hundreds of state-run companies, like those in telecommunications and mining. The banking system was also privatized.
His National Development Plan had four main goals:
- Protecting Mexico's independence.
- Promoting democracy.
- Helping the economy recover.
- Improving people's living standards.
By the end of his term, inflation (prices going up) had dropped significantly. However, soon after he left office, Mexico faced a major economic crisis.
Helping People in Poverty
Salinas started the National Solidarity Program (PRONASOL). This program aimed to help poor Mexicans directly. It used public money, often from the sale of state companies, to improve roads, electricity, schools, and clinics in poor areas. This program was meant to help people and gain support for his government.
Church-State Relations
Mexico and the Catholic Church had a difficult history, with many rules limiting the Church's role. Salinas worked to improve these relations. His government made changes to the Constitution to allow more freedom for the Catholic Church and other religious groups. This was a big step in Mexican history.
Election Reforms
After the controversial 1988 election, Salinas's government started reforms to make elections fairer. They created the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) in 1990. This new group was independent and took over managing elections. The 1994 elections were the first to have international observers. They were considered the fairest elections in many years.
Human Rights
In 1990, the National Human Rights Commission was created. This organization worked to protect human rights in Mexico.
Education Changes
In 1992, new history textbooks were introduced in Mexican schools. These books caused some debate because they changed how certain historical events and figures were presented. The government eventually had to remove them.
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
A major achievement of Salinas's presidency was the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He successfully negotiated this agreement with the United States and Canada. NAFTA started on January 1, 1994. It aimed to create a single market for goods and services between the three countries.
For Mexico, NAFTA was a big change from its past economic policies. Supporters believed it would help Mexico's exports, attract foreign investment, create jobs, and boost the economy. However, some people in Mexico were against it, fearing it would harm local industries and jobs.
Foreign Policy
Besides NAFTA, Salinas also worked on Mexico's foreign debt. In 1992, Mexico hosted the Chapultepec Peace Accords. This was an important event where a peace agreement was signed to end the civil war in El Salvador. Mexico also re-established diplomatic relations with the Vatican. Mexico joined important international groups like the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Challenges in 1994
As the 1994 presidential election approached, Salinas had to choose the next PRI candidate. This person usually went on to win the presidency. He chose Luis Donaldo Colosio. However, a series of events in his last year changed things.
Zapatista Rebellion
On January 1, 1994, the same day NAFTA began, a rebellion started in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) announced their uprising. Salinas tried to find a peaceful solution, offering pardons and ordering a ceasefire. This event drew international attention to Mexico.
Assassination of Colosio
In March 1994, Luis Donaldo Colosio, the PRI presidential candidate chosen by Salinas, was assassinated. This was a shocking event that changed the election. After this, Salinas chose Ernesto Zedillo to be the new PRI candidate. Zedillo had been the Minister of Education.
1994 General Election
The general election took place on August 21, 1994. Voters chose between Zedillo for the PRI, Cárdenas, and Diego Fernández de Cevallos for the PAN. Zedillo won the election. International observers generally considered these elections to be fair.
Another Political Challenge
In September 1994, after the election, José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, a high-ranking PRI official and Salinas's former brother-in-law, was also assassinated. The case was not solved during Salinas's presidency.
Economic Difficulties
Towards the end of Salinas's term, Mexico's economy faced challenges. There was a period of fast growth, but the Mexican currency (the peso) was overvalued. This meant it was worth more than it should have been. This made the economy vulnerable. After Salinas left office, Mexico entered a severe economic crisis.
After the Presidency
Soon after Ernesto Zedillo became president, the Mexican peso lost a lot of its value. This caused a major economic crisis. Many people blamed Salinas for this. Salinas, in turn, blamed Zedillo for how he handled the situation.
Salinas left Mexico for a period of time, living in Ireland. His reputation faced further challenges due to issues involving close family members.
In 1999, Salinas's older brother, Raúl, was convicted of ordering the murder of José Francisco Ruiz Massieu. He was later freed in 2005.
Carlos Salinas returned to Mexico in the late 1990s. He published a book defending his time as president. He has continued to be involved in Mexican politics.
Honours
Carlos Salinas de Gortari has received several honours from other countries:
Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain, 1990)
Honorary Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (Malaysia, 1991)
Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (Uruguay, 1993)
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Images for kids
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Salinas de Gortari in 2006
See also
- List of heads of state of Mexico
- History of Mexico
- Politics of Mexico
