Mercedes Aráoz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mercedes Aráoz
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Aráoz in 2017
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| Second Vice President of Peru | |
| In office 28 July 2016 – 7 May 2020 |
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| President | Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Martín Vizcarra |
| Preceded by | Omar Chehade (2012) |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Prime Minister of Peru | |
| In office 17 September 2017 – 2 April 2018 |
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| President | Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Martín Vizcarra |
| Preceded by | Fernando Zavala |
| Succeeded by | César Villanueva |
| Member of Congress | |
| In office 26 July 2016 – 30 September 2019 |
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| Constituency | Lima |
| Minister of Economy and Finance | |
| In office 22 December 2009 – 14 September 2010 |
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| President | Alan García |
| Prime Minister | Javier Velásquez |
| Preceded by | Luis Carranza |
| Succeeded by | Ismael Benavides |
| Minister of Production | |
| In office 11 July 2009 – 22 December 2009 |
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| President | Alan García |
| Prime Minister | Javier Velásquez |
| Preceded by | Elena Conterno |
| Succeeded by | José Gonzales Quijano |
| Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism | |
| In office 28 July 2006 – 11 July 2009 |
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| President | Alan García |
| Prime Minister | Jorge Del Castillo Yehude Simon |
| Preceded by | Alfredo Ferrero |
| Succeeded by | Martín Pérez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 August 1961 Lima, Peru |
| Political party | Independent Peruvian Aprista Party (before 2012) |
| Education | University of the Pacific (BA) University of Miami (MA, PhD) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Economist |
Mercedes Rosalba Aráoz Fernández (born 5 August 1961) is a Peruvian economist, professor, and politician. She served as the Second Vice President of Peru from 2016 to 2020. Before this, she held several important roles in the Peruvian government. She was the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, then Minister of Production, and finally Minister of Economy and Finance. These jobs were all during the second time Alan García was president.
In the 2016 Peruvian general election, Aráoz ran for Second Vice President. She was on the same team as Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and Martin Vizcarra for the Peruvians for Change party. Their team won the election. At the same time, she was also chosen to be a member of the Congress.
Later, she became the Prime Minister of Peru from September 2017 to April 2018. When President Kuczynski resigned in March 2018, Martín Vizcarra became the new President. Aráoz then served as the only Vice President under President Vizcarra.
In September 2019, there was a disagreement between President Vizcarra and Congress. This led to the President dissolving Congress. In response, Congress tried to suspend Vizcarra and named Aráoz as the acting President. However, this decision was not widely accepted. Because of this, Aráoz decided to step down from the claim to the presidency on October 1, 2019. Her resignation as Vice President was officially accepted by Congress in May 2020.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mercedes Aráoz was born on August 5, 1961, in Lima, the capital city of Peru. She went to St. Mary's School in the Magdalena del Mar area of Lima.
She then studied economics at the University of the Pacific in Lima. After that, she went to the University of Miami in the United States. There, she earned a master's degree and a PhD in economics.
Aráoz also took special courses in foreign trade policies. She studied at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University and at the Latin American Network of Commercial Policy in Buenos Aires. She also learned about coaching in Santiago de Chile.
Political Career
Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism (2006–2009)
On July 28, 2006, Mercedes Aráoz was chosen to be the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism. This was under the presidency of Alan García. In this role, she worked on making trade agreements with many countries. These included countries in the European Union and the EFTA. She also worked on agreements with Canada, China, Chile, Mexico, and Japan.
Minister of Production (2009)
After her time as Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism, Aráoz took on a new role. On July 11, 2009, she became the Minister of Production.
Minister of Economy and Finance (2009–2010)
In December 2009, Aráoz was appointed as the Minister of Economy and Finance. She was the first woman in Peru's history to hold this important position.
During her nine months in this role, she focused on promoting projects that would improve Peru's infrastructure. This included public services and investments. Even during a global financial crisis, Peru's economy continued to grow under her leadership.
Presidential Nomination (2011)
In November 2010, Mercedes Aráoz was suggested as a candidate for president. This was for the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA) party in the 2011 Peruvian general election. Even though she had resigned as Finance Minister, the government supported her. She won the most votes at the party's meeting and accepted the nomination in November 2010.
However, Aráoz had disagreements with some of the party's senior leaders. Because of these issues, she decided to withdraw her nomination on January 16, 2011. After this, the party did not put forward any candidate for the election. Aráoz then took a break from politics for a while.
Congresswoman and Vice President
In the 2016 Peruvian general election, Aráoz decided to run for office again. She joined the Peruvians for Change party. She ran for both a seat in Congress and for Second Vice President. She was the running mate for Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Their team won, and Aráoz was elected as Second Vice President. She remained an independent member within the party.
Vice Presidency
In August 2016, Aráoz was chosen to lead a special group. This group was in charge of making sure Peru successfully hosted the APEC Peru 2016 meeting.
In August 2017, Aráoz was also named as a Commissioner for Peru. Her job was to help Peru join the OECD, which is an organization of many countries working together.
Prime Minister of Peru
In September 2017, Aráoz was sworn in as the President of the Council of Ministers. This role is also known as the Prime Minister. She held this important position until April 2018.
Academic Career
Mercedes Aráoz is a main professor of International Economy at the University of the Pacific. She is also part of their Research Center. Additionally, she teaches at the Diplomatic Academy of Peru.
She has also worked as an advisor for many international groups. These include the World Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the Organization of American States (OAS). She also worked with the CAF – Development Bank of Latin America.
From 2011 to 2015, Aráoz was the Country Representative for the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) in Mexico City.
Images for kids
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Aráoz in 2017
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Aráoz in 2007
See also
In Spanish: Mercedes Aráoz para niños
