Mireya Moscoso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mireya Moscoso
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Moscoso in 2012
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| 34th President of Panama | |
| In office 1 September 1999 – 1 September 2004 |
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| Vice President |
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| Preceded by | Ernesto Pérez Balladares |
| Succeeded by | Martín Torrijos |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodríguez
1 July 1946 Pedasi, Panama |
| Political party | Arnulfista |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Miami Dade College |
Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodríguez (born 1 July 1946) is a Panamanian politician. She served as the President of Panama from 1999 to 2004. She made history as the first and only female president of Panama.
Mireya Moscoso grew up in a rural family. She became involved in politics during the 1968 presidential campaign of Arnulfo Arias. She later married him and followed him when he had to leave the country. After Arias passed away in 1988, she took over his coffee business. She also became the leader of his political group, the Arnulfista Party.
In the 1994 presidential election, she nearly won, but lost to Ernesto Pérez Balladares. However, in the 1999 election, she won against Martín Torrijos. This made her Panama's first female president. During her time as president, she oversaw the important moment when the Panama Canal was fully handed over from the United States to Panama. She also faced challenges like a slowing economy. Her popularity went down, and her party lost the next election in 2004.
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Early Life and Political Start
Mireya Moscoso was born on July 1, 1946, in Pedasí, Panama. She was the youngest of six children in a family that was not wealthy. Her father, who was a schoolteacher, passed away when she was ten years old. After finishing high school, Mireya started working as a secretary.
She joined the 1968 presidential campaign of Arnulfo Arias. Arias had been president twice before but was removed from office by the military both times. He won the presidency again in 1968, but was removed by the military after only eleven days. Arias then went to live in Miami, Florida, in the United States. Mireya Moscoso followed him and they got married the next year. She was 23 and he was 67. While in Miami, Mireya studied interior design at Miami-Dade Community College.
After Arias's death in 1988, she inherited his coffee business. In 1991, she became the president of his political group, the Arnulfista Party. Also in 1991, Mireya married a businessman named Richard Gruber. They adopted a son, Ricardo. Mireya and Richard divorced in 1997.
Running for President
In 1994, Mireya Moscoso ran for president as the candidate for the Arnulfista Party. She wanted to take over from the previous president, Guillermo Endara, who was also from her party. Her main opponents were Ernesto Pérez Balladares and singer Rubén Blades.
Moscoso and Blades tried to remind people of Pérez Balladares's past connections with military leader Manuel Noriega. However, many people were unhappy with the government at the time, which made Moscoso's campaign harder. Pérez Balladares won that election with 33% of the votes. Moscoso came in second with 29%.
Mireya Moscoso ran for president again in the election on May 2, 1999. This time, her main opponent was Martín Torrijos, who was the son of a former military leader, Omar Torrijos. Martín Torrijos became the candidate after a plan to let the previous president run again failed.
Moscoso's campaign focused on helping ordinary people. She often started her speeches with a Latin phrase that meant "the voice of the people is the voice of God." She promised to improve education, reduce poverty, and slow down the selling off of government businesses. While Torrijos often spoke about his father's legacy, Moscoso spoke about her late husband's ideas. In the end, Moscoso won the election with 45% of the votes, while Torrijos received 37%.
Her Time as President (1999–2004)
Mireya Moscoso became president on September 1, 1999. Since she was divorced, her older sister, Ruby Moscoso de Young, served as her First Lady. It was challenging for Moscoso to pass new laws because the Legislative Assembly was controlled by the opposing party. She also faced new rules about spending public money that the previous president had put in place.
On December 31, 1999, President Moscoso oversaw a very important event: the official handover of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama. This was a major moment for Panama, as the canal had been managed by the US for a long time. After the handover, her government faced the task of cleaning up environmental issues in the Panama Canal Zone. At the same time, Panama's economy started to slow down because of the loss of income from American workers who had been at the canal.
Moscoso's government worked to stop Panama from being used for international crime. They passed new laws to prevent money laundering and to make financial dealings more open. These efforts helped Panama improve its standing with other countries. However, violent crime also increased during her time in office.
In December 2000, Moscoso set up a special "truth commission." This group was created to investigate past events and disappearances in Panama's history. The commission faced some challenges, but it worked to uncover information about many cases. The report from the commission described serious human rights issues from a past government and suggested more investigations.
During her presidency, Moscoso was sometimes accused of favoring family members in government jobs. Her approval rating fell due to concerns about the economy and some accusations of unfair practices. By the end of her term, her presidency was seen by some as having challenges with effectiveness and honesty.
The Constitution of Panama did not allow Moscoso to run for a second term right away. Her former rival, Martín Torrijos, became the next president in the 2004 election. Before leaving office, Moscoso made some controversial decisions, including pardoning a group of people. This led to some diplomatic issues with other countries. She also pardoned many journalists for past legal issues. In 2008, the Supreme Court later overturned many of the pardons she had issued.
After the Presidency
After leaving office, Mireya Moscoso remained active in politics as a member of the opposition. She continued to speak out on important issues. For example, in 2007, she criticized a political appointment and joined other former presidents in asking an international organization to look into a media issue in Venezuela.
Mireya Moscoso has also become a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. This group works to encourage good leadership and increase the number of women in top leadership roles around the world.
Honors
Foreign honours
Royal House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies:
Knight Grand Cross of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, Special Class
Monaco:
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles
Taiwan:
Grand Cordon of the Order of Brilliant Jade
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Images for kids
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Mireya Moscoso in 2012
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Moscoso, Fernando De la Rúa and US president George W. Bush during the 3rd Summit of the Americas.
See also
In Spanish: Mireya Moscoso para niños
