Mauricio Funes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mauricio Funes
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Funes in 2008
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| 79th President of El Salvador | |
| In office 1 June 2009 – 1 June 2014 |
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| Vice President | Salvador Sánchez Cerén |
| Preceded by | Antonio Saca |
| Succeeded by | Salvador Sánchez Cerén |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena
18 October 1959 San Salvador, El Salvador |
| Died | 21 January 2025 (aged 65) Managua, Nicaragua |
| Citizenship |
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| Political party | FMLN |
| Spouse |
Vanda Pignato
(m. 1993; Separated 2014) |
| Domestic partner | Ada Mitchell Guzmán (2014–2025) |
| Children | 4 |
Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena (born 18 October 1959 – died 21 January 2025) was a journalist and politician from El Salvador. He served as the 79th president of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014. Funes won the 2009 presidential election as the candidate for the left-leaning Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) party. He officially started his term on 1 June 2009.
Funes lived in Nicaragua from 2016 until his death in 2025. He became a citizen of Nicaragua in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mauricio Funes was born in San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador. He completed his high school education at the Externado San José. Later, he attended Universidad Centroamericana. Although he studied there, he did not complete his degree.
In 1994, Funes received the Maria Moors Cabot prize from Columbia University. This award recognized his efforts in promoting press freedom and understanding between countries in the Americas.
Career in Journalism
Before becoming involved in politics of El Salvador, Funes had a successful career as a journalist. He was well-known for hosting a popular interview show on television. He appeared on Channel 12 and worked as a correspondent for CNN en Español from 1991 to 2007.
Funes also hosted local news programs that often questioned the actions of past governments. He worked as a reporter during the Salvadoran Civil War. During this time, he interviewed leaders of the leftist rebel groups. This experience made him more understanding of leftist ideas in El Salvador. He considered himself to be a center-left politician.
Presidential Campaign and Term
On 28 September 2007, Funes was chosen as the candidate for the FMLN party. He ran in the 2009 Salvadoran presidential election against Rodrigo Ávila. Ávila was the candidate for the Nationalist Republican Alliance and a former police official.
Funes won the election with 51.32% of the votes in the first round. He was the second left-leaning president of El Salvador. The first was Arturo Araujo in 1931. Funes was also the first FMLN party leader who had not fought in the Salvadoran civil war. His inauguration on 1 June was the first peaceful transition of power since the end of the Civil War.
During his campaign, Funes promised moderate political changes. He said he would improve programs like health care in rural areas and work to prevent crime. Some political opponents worried that his election would bring influence from Venezuela. However, Funes stated that his foreign policy would focus on "integration with Central America and strengthening relations with North America." He also promised to keep the U.S. dollar as El Salvador's official currency. El Salvador had started using the U.S. dollar in 2001 under President Francisco Flores Pérez.
Key Actions as President
After becoming president, Funes's government introduced many social reforms. These reforms aimed to reduce poverty and inequality. Here are some of the changes he made:
- He started programs to help the poorest communities.
- He removed fees for public health care.
- He provided free shoes, meals, and uniforms for schoolchildren.
- His government gave property titles to hundreds of families.
- He introduced monthly cash payments and job training for people in extreme poverty.
- Pensions were created for elderly citizens.
In addition, Funes's administration invested in improving school buildings. A presidential order was issued to prevent discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation in public services. Two groups were created to help represent the interests of El Salvador's indigenous communities. A community health plan was started, teachers' salaries were increased, and measures were introduced to fight illiteracy.
On 1 June 2009, Funes resumed diplomatic relations with Cuba. El Salvador had stopped diplomatic relations with Cuba 50 years earlier, after the Cuban Revolution.
In November 2009, President Funes faced a major natural disaster. Hurricane Ida brought heavy rains that affected communities in Cuscatlán, San Salvador, and San Vicente. A town called Verapaz in San Vicente was buried by rocks from a nearby volcano. The government's Civil Protection agency helped by preparing public schools. These schools housed people who lost their homes for more than three months. The Army and the Red Cross of El Salvador rescued many people from the affected areas.
A pension was created for soldiers and guerrillas who were injured during the civil war. On the anniversary of the peace agreement, Mauricio Funes officially recognized the role of the Armed Forces in war crimes. He apologized to the victims on behalf of the state.
Personal Life
Mauricio Funes was married to Vanda Pignato. She served as his first lady and was also a secretary for social inclusion in his government. They had one son named Gabriel. In October 2014, Funes announced that he and Pignato had separated.
When Mauricio Funes was granted political asylum by Nicaragua, his partner, Ada Mitchell Guzmán Sigüenza, and his three sons were also included. In July 2019, Funes, along with his wife and two sons, became naturalized citizens of Nicaragua. He and his immediate family remained in Nicaragua since 2016.
Death
Mauricio Funes passed away in Managua, Nicaragua, on 21 January 2025. He was 65 years old and had been suffering from a "serious chronic illness." His family decided that he would be buried in Nicaragua.
See also
In Spanish: Mauricio Funes para niños
