Luis Guillermo Solís facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Luis Guillermo Solís
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 47th President of Costa Rica | |
| In office 8 May 2014 – 8 May 2018 |
|
| Vice President | Helio Fallas Venegas Ana Helena Chacón |
| Preceded by | Laura Chinchilla |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Alvarado |
| President pro tempore of CELAC | |
| In office 8 May 2014 – 28 January 2015 |
|
| Preceded by | Laura Chinchilla |
| Succeeded by | Rafael Correa |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera
25 April 1958 San José, Costa Rica |
| Political party | National Liberation Party (Before 2005) Citizens' Action Party (2009–present) |
| Spouse | Nancy Olive Worsfold Richards (m. 1987 div. 2006) |
| Domestic partner | Mercedes Peñas Domingo (2006–present) |
| Children | 6 |
| Alma mater | University of Costa Rica Tulane University University of Michigan, Ann Arbor |
| Signature |  |
Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera (born 25 April 1958) is a Costa Rican politician and teacher. He served as the 47th President of Costa Rica from 2014 to 2018. He is a member of the Citizens' Action Party (PAC).
Solís won the 2014 presidential election by a large amount. He received more votes than any other presidential candidate in the country's history. He was the first President of Costa Rica to be a member of the PAC.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Luis Guillermo Solís was born in San José, Costa Rica. His mother, Vivienne Rivera Allen, was a teacher. His father, Freddy Solís Avendaño, was a shoemaker. Both his parents came from Turrialba. Many people from Turrialba consider him one of their own.
His family has roots from Jamaica, with Afro-Caribbean and Chinese heritage. They came to Costa Rica in the early 1900s. Solís grew up in San Pedro de Montes de Oca and Curridabat. These are neighborhoods in San José.
He went to Methodist High School in San José. There, he was the president of the student body. Later, he studied history at the University of Costa Rica. He earned a degree with honors in 1979. He also earned a master's degree in Latin American Studies from Tulane University in New Orleans.
Academic Career
Solís has held many teaching and advising jobs. From 1981 to 1987, he was a professor at the University of Costa Rica. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Michigan from 1983 to 1985. During this time, Solís worked with the government of Óscar Arias. He later became director of the Center for Peace and Reconciliation.
From 1992 to 1995, Solís worked with the Academic Council of the United Nations System. In 1999, he started working for Florida International University. He was a coordinator and researcher there. He studied political and social events in Latin America.
Solís is also a writer. He has published many essays and books about national and international topics. In the 1990s, he wrote for La República, a newspaper in San José. His writings focus on society, international relations, and trade. He is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.
Political Journey
Solís joined the National Liberation Party (PLN) in 1977 while at the University of Costa Rica. He advised Óscar Arias in the Foreign Ministry. He helped with the Esquipulas Peace Agreement. This agreement later earned Arias a Nobel Peace Prize. Solís also served as the Director of International Relations for the PLN. During José María Figueres Olsen's presidency, Solís was the ambassador for Central American Affairs.
In 2002, Solís became the General Secretary of the PLN. He resigned the next year. He was disappointed with a corruption scandal involving many PLN leaders. In 2005, he spoke out against the PLN for problems during party elections. He called the party's leaders "anti-democratic." He then left the party and went back to teaching.
After the 2006 election, Solís' name came up in discussions within the Citizens' Action Party (PAC). Ottón Solís, a PAC founder, suggested Luis Guillermo Solís run as a vice presidential candidate in 2010. Luis Guillermo Solís declined because of his work at the General Secretariat of Ibero-America.
In 2009, Luis Guillermo Solís officially joined the PAC. He started attending party meetings. PAC leaders saw his potential and helped him rise within the party. Solís traveled around the country to meet with PAC leaders.
2014 Presidential Campaign
Solís announced he would run for president on 27 November 2012. In the PAC's primary election, he competed against three other candidates. He won with 35 percent of the votes. This was only 110 votes more than his closest rival.
In October 2013, he chose Helio Fallas and Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría as his Vice-Presidential running mates. Solís promised to fight corruption and invest in infrastructure. He also aimed to strengthen Costa Rica's universal health care and social security system. He wanted to continue efforts to keep Costa Rica environmentally friendly. He also said he would slow down new free trade agreements. Because of his goals, he received strong support from trade unions.
On 2 February 2014, Solís won the most votes in the first round of the election. He received 30.95 percent of the vote. The PLN candidate, Johnny Araya, came second with 29.95 percent. Most of Solís' support came from the central provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia, and Cartago.
Since no candidate received more than 40 percent of the vote, a second round (runoff) was set for 6 April. However, on 5 March, Araya announced he would stop his campaign. Polls showed him far behind Solís. One poll showed him losing by over 43 percent. Even so, Costa Rican law required the runoff to still happen. Solís won with over 77 percent of the vote. This was the largest victory margin ever in a free election in Costa Rica.
In the second round, Solís won a majority in every province. When he took office on 8 May, he was the first president in 66 years not to come from the PLN or the PUSC. After the election, Solís thanked Costa Rican voters. He received congratulations from many world leaders.
Presidency
In April 2014, Solís announced the members of his cabinet. His cabinet mostly included PAC members or people not aligned with any party. Two PUSC members were also added. María del Rocío Sáenz, a former health minister, led the Costa Rican Social Security System. Delia Villalobos, another former health minister, led the Social Protection Council.
Solís took office on 8 May 2014, with a big celebration. Delegations from over 80 countries attended his inauguration. These included Prince Felipe de Borbón of Spain and presidents from Bolivia and Ecuador.
Economic Goals
In 2014, President Solís proposed a budget with increased spending. Debt payments made up a large part of the budget. A significant portion of the budget also needed to be financed, which would increase the country's debt.
In early 2017, Moody's Investors Service lowered Costa Rica's credit rating. They pointed to the "rising government debt" and "high fiscal deficit." They were also concerned about the "lack of political agreement" to reduce the deficit. In July 2017, the Costa Rica Central Bank estimated the budget deficit at 6.1 percent of the country's GDP.
A 2017 study by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development suggested that reducing foreign debt should be a top priority. Other financial changes were also recommended to help control the budget deficit.
In August 2017, President Solís stated that the country was facing a "liquidity crisis." He said his government was considering higher VAT and income taxes. These steps were needed, he explained, to pay the country's bills and provide services. He said that the Treasury would prioritize payments for public debt, then salaries, pensions, and infrastructure. Other payments would be made if funds were available.
Political and Social Views
Like most members of the PAC, Solís sees himself as a progressivist. His Plan Rescate, or Rescue Plan, shows his political beliefs. This plan focused on three main areas: fighting corruption, promoting economic growth, and reducing income inequality.
Solís believes that economic policies have created too much income inequality in Costa Rica. He said that past governments avoided collecting taxes from large companies and high-income earners. This led to budget problems. Solís aimed to fix this through better tax collection. He also believed that banks should not prioritize exports over income growth for the poor. He felt that economic changes had harmed women more than men. He also thought that the agricultural industry's needs had been ignored.
Solís supports protecting the environment. He believes Costa Rica had forgotten this. He thinks that water must be protected from private development and poor management. This has caused water shortages in many areas. Solís said he would prosecute those who violate water resource laws.
He also supports increased LGBT rights. In May 2014, he ordered a rainbow flag to be flown over the Presidential House. This was a sign of support for gay people on International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Solís is a Catholic. As a presidential candidate, he visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Angels. This is a traditional pilgrimage site for many Costa Ricans. He supports the separation of church and state, even though Catholicism is the country's official religion. He also supports civil unions.
Personal Life
Luis Guillermo Solís has five children from his first marriage to Nancy Olive Worsfold Richards (1987–2006). Their names are Monica, Cristina, Beatriz, Diego, and Ignacio.
Solís is not married to Mercedes Peñas Domingo. However, during his time as president, she was considered the First Lady of Costa Rica. He and Peñas started dating in 2006 and have one daughter, Inés. Peñas said she hoped to be an active adviser to Solís. She also performed duties as First Lady, such as greeting important visitors. Besides public service and academics, Solís enjoys farming.
As of July 2020, Solís has been named the Interim Director of the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University. He has been working as a professor there since 2018.
Images for kids
-
Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera's signature.
See also
In Spanish: Luis Guillermo Solís para niños
