Mireya Moscoso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mireya Moscoso
|
|
|---|---|
Moscoso in 2012
|
|
| 34th President of Panama | |
| In office 1 September 1999 – 1 September 2004 |
|
| Vice President |
|
| 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 |
|
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Miami Dade College |
Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodríguez (born on July 1, 1946) is a Panamanian politician. She made history as the first and only female president of Panama, serving from 1999 to 2004.
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 a military takeover. After Arias passed away in 1988, Mireya took over his coffee business. She also became the leader of his political group, the Arnulfista Party.
In the 1994 presidential election, she almost won but lost to Ernesto Pérez Balladares. However, in the 1999 election, she ran again and won against Martín Torrijos. This victory made her Panama's first female president. During her time as president, she oversaw the important moment when the Panama Canal was handed over from the United States to Panama.
Contents
Mireya Moscoso: Panama's First Female President
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 both times he was removed from office by the military. He won the presidency again in 1968, but was removed after only eleven days.
Arias then moved to Miami, Florida, in the United States. Mireya 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 died in 1988, she inherited his coffee business. On September 29, 1991, she became the president of her late husband's Arnulfista Party.
In 1991, Mireya Moscoso married a businessman named Richard Gruber. They adopted a son, Ricardo, who was born around 1992. Moscoso and Gruber later divorced in 1997.
Running for President
The 1994 Election
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. Her main opponents were Ernesto Pérez Balladares and a famous salsa singer, Rubén Blades.
Moscoso and Blades tried to show Pérez Balladares' connection to the former military ruler Manuel Noriega. However, Moscoso's campaign faced challenges because people were not happy with the previous government's problems. Pérez Balladares won the election with 33% of the votes, while Moscoso received 29%.
The 1999 Election
Mireya Moscoso was chosen again as the Arnulfista Party candidate for the election on May 2, 1999. Her main opponent this time was Martín Torrijos, the son of former military leader Omar Torrijos.
Moscoso ran on a platform that promised to help ordinary people. She often started her speeches with a Latin phrase meaning "the voice of the people is the voice of God." She promised to improve education, reduce poverty, and slow down the selling of government businesses to private companies. Unlike in 1994, it was now Torrijos's party that was dealing with issues from the previous government. Mireya Moscoso won the election with 45% of the votes, beating Torrijos who received 37%.
Leading Panama (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.
Because the opposing party controlled the Legislative Assembly, Moscoso found it difficult to pass new laws. She also faced strict rules about spending public money that the previous president had put in place.
Taking Over the Panama Canal
On December 31, 1999, President Moscoso oversaw a historic event: the Panama Canal was officially handed over from the United States to Panama. This was a major moment for the country. Her government then had to work on cleaning up environmental issues in the Panama Canal Zone, where the US Army had conducted tests.
Panama's economy also faced challenges because the income from American canal personnel was no longer there.
Challenges and Changes
President Moscoso worked to stop Panama from being involved in international illegal activities. She passed new laws to fight against illegal money transfers and supported transparency in taxes. This helped Panama be removed from international lists of countries that were seen as tax havens.
During her term, there were also accusations of unfair appointments and problems with money in her administration. By 2001, her approval rating had dropped. In 2003, the US ambassador publicly spoke about the increase in corruption during her time in office. By the end of her term, her presidency was often seen as having problems with corruption and being ineffective.
She was also criticized in 2004 when it was revealed that she had spent a lot of public money on luxury clothes and jewelry.
After the Presidency
Mireya Moscoso was not allowed to run for a second term right away, according to Panama's Constitution. Her former rival, Martín Torrijos, succeeded her in the 2004 election.
Just before leaving office, Moscoso caused some discussion by pardoning four men who had been found guilty of planning to harm Cuban president Fidel Castro during a visit to Panama in 2000. Cuba ended its diplomatic relations with Panama because of this. Moscoso said she pardoned them because she believed they would be in danger if they stayed in Panama. She also pardoned 87 journalists for certain legal issues. In 2008, the Supreme Court overturned all 180 pardons Moscoso had issued, saying they were against the constitution.
After leaving office, Moscoso remained active in politics as a member of the opposition. She also became a member of the Council of Women World Leaders at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This group works to encourage good leadership and help more women become leaders in their countries.
Special Recognitions
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
See also
In Spanish: Mireya Moscoso para niños
