Ricardo Lagos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ricardo Lagos
Official portrait, 2000
32nd President of Chile
In office 11 March 2000 – 11 March 2006
Preceded by	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Succeeded by	Michelle Bachelet
Minister of Public Works
In office 11 March 1994 – 1 August 1998
President	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Preceded by	Carlos Hurtado Ruiz-Tagle
Succeeded by	Jaime Tohá
Minister of Education
In office 11 March 1990 – 28 September 1992
President	Patricio Aylwin
Preceded by	René Salamé Martín
Succeeded by	Jorge Arrate
Personal details
Born	(1938-03-02) 2 March 1938 (age 87) Santiago, Chile
Political party	Party for Democracy (1987–present)
Other political affiliations	Radical Party (1959–1961) Socialist Party of Chile (1961–1987)
Spouses	Carmen Weber ​ ​ (m. 1961; annulled 1969)​ Luisa Durán ​ (m. 1971)​
Children	Ricardo Ximena Hernán (stepson) Francisca Alejandro (stepson)
Alma mater	University of Chile Duke University
Occupation	Lawyer Economist
Signature

Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (born March 2, 1938) is a Chilean lawyer and economist. He is also a social-democratic politician. He served as the president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. In the 1980s, he was a strong opponent of the Chilean military dictatorship. He famously spoke out against dictator Augusto Pinochet on live television in 1988.

Before becoming president, he was the Minister of Education from 1990 to 1992. He also served as the Minister of Public Works from 1994 to 1998. He won the 1999–2000 Chilean presidential election in a close race. Ricardo Lagos was the third president from the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy to lead Chile since 1990. After his presidency, he worked as a Special Envoy on Climate Change for the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from 2007 to 2010. He tried to run for president again in 2017 but later withdrew.

Early Life and Family

Ricardo Lagos was born in Santiago, Chile. He was the only child of Froilán Lagos Sepúlveda and Emma Escobar Morales. His father, a farmer, passed away when Ricardo was eight years old. Ricardo attended Liceo Experimental Manuel de Salas for primary school. He then went to the well-known Instituto Nacional for high school.

In 1961, Lagos married Carmen Weber. They had two children, Ricardo and Ximena. Later, in 1969, he met Luisa Durán, and they married in 1971. They raised their children together, including Ricardo's children from his first marriage, Luisa's children Hernán and Alejandro, and their daughter Francisca.

Education and Early Career

Ricardo Lagos studied law at the University of Chile. He earned his law degree in 1960. After that, he went to Duke University in the United States. There, he earned a Ph.D. in Economics in 1966. During his time in the U.S., he was a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

When he returned to Chile, he worked at the Institute of Economy at the University of Chile. In 1967, he became the Director of the School of Political and Administrative Sciences. He held this position until 1973. He also taught economics at the University of Chile's School of Law.

International Work

In the 1970s, Lagos worked as a Chilean delegate to the United Nations. He gave an important speech about the international financial crisis. He criticized the U.S. President Richard Nixon's decision to stop converting the U.S. dollar into gold. In 1972, President Salvador Allende wanted to appoint Lagos as the Chilean ambassador to the Soviet Union. However, this appointment was not approved by the Chilean Congress.

After the Chilean coup of 1973, Lagos and his family went to Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, he became the Secretary General of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO). He also spent a year in the United States as a visiting professor. In 1975, he worked as a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme. He returned to Chile in 1978.

Political Journey

In the 1980s, Ricardo Lagos played a key role in bringing democracy back to Chile. He was a leader of the Socialist Party of Chile. He also became the President of the Democratic Alliance. This group brought together most of the democratic parties that opposed General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. In 1987, he encouraged people to register to vote "no" in a 1988 national vote. This vote would decide if Pinochet could stay in power.

Speaking Out Against Pinochet

Lagos became a very important leader against Pinochet. This happened after he appeared on a TV show called De cara al país (towards the country). This was the first political debate show on Canal 13 since the 1973 coup. On the show, he bravely said that if the "No" vote won, Pinochet would not be in power for 25 years. He looked directly at the camera and pointed his finger, saying to viewers:

General Pinochet has not been honest with the country... I will remind you, General Pinochet, that on the day of the 1980 plebiscite you said that "President Pinochet would not be a candidate in 1989". ... And now, you promise the country another eight years, with tortures, murders, and human rights violations. It seems to me inadmissible, that a Chilean can have so much hunger for power, to aim to stay for 25 years in power! Never before has a Chilean ever done so. And you asked me to answer either Yes or No, and that's what I did. Please excuse me, Raquel, but I'm speaking after being silent for 15 years already!

This moment is still remembered in Chile as "Lagos' finger." Many people thought he might not survive after speaking so boldly. Pinochet did not run for president in 1989, as Lagos had pointed out.

Ministerial Roles

After the "No" vote won, Lagos supported Patricio Aylwin for president. Aylwin became president, and in 1990, he named Lagos Minister of Education. In this role, Lagos worked to make education more equal and improve its quality.

In 1994, President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle appointed Lagos as Minister of Public Works. Here, he created a new system for building roads. This system involved private companies in building and managing public works. He continued to be a respected public figure.

Road to the Presidency

In 1999, Lagos left his minister position to run for president. He won the primary election for the Concertación coalition. In the first round of the presidential election in December 1999, he narrowly defeated Joaquín Lavín. Since no candidate won more than half the votes, a second round was held in January 2000. This was the first time Chile had a presidential runoff election. Lagos won with 51.3% of the votes and became the new President of Chile.

Presidency (2000–2006)

During his time as president, Lagos worked on several important issues. He faced high unemployment at first, but this improved by late 2003. He also worked to keep the country's finances stable.

Lagos was very popular with the people. His approval rating was often around 55% and even reached 60-70% at the end of his term. He left office with a 75% approval rating, which was a record high for a Chilean president after Pinochet. He also opened the doors of the Palacio de La Moneda, the presidential palace, which had been closed since the 1973 coup.

Key Achievements and Reforms

Lagos visits Paniahue in 2001.

On April 3, 2001, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile voted to end the death penalty for civilian crimes. President Lagos signed this bill into law weeks later. This meant the highest punishment became life imprisonment.

His government also faced some challenges related to political integrity. There were investigations into some officials from the Public Works Ministry. Lagos acknowledged that some "extra payments" had been made to ministers and other officials. He explained that this practice had also happened in previous governments. To fix this, a new law was passed to increase the pay of government ministers and officials.

International Relations

Lagos in 2006

In 2004, Lagos dealt with some tensions with other South American countries. This was mainly due to Bolivia's desire for access to the sea. This issue was connected to a natural gas shortage in Argentina, which supplied gas to Chile. Bolivia agreed to sell gas to Argentina only if none of it was sold to Chile. Also, the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, supported Bolivia's claim for sea access. This caused some diplomatic disagreements between Chile and Venezuela, but tensions eased later in 2004.

Lasting Impact

Lagos arrives at the inauguration of his successor, Michelle Bachelet.

During Lagos' presidency, Chile signed important Free Trade Agreements. These agreements were made with the European Community, the United States, South Korea, the People's Republic of China, and other countries. These agreements helped Chile's economy grow.

Other important changes during his term included:

• Reducing extreme poverty.
• Lowering the legal workweek from 48 to 45 hours.
• Improving roads and transportation.
• Creating an unemployment insurance plan.
• Starting the AUGE health program, which guaranteed healthcare for many medical conditions.
• Developing the Chile Barrio housing program and the Chile Solidario program to help families.
• Extending compulsory schooling to 12 years.
• Approving Chile's first divorce law.
• Providing money to victims of torture under the Pinochet regime, based on the Valech Report.
• Signing a new version of the Chilean Constitution of 1980.

He finished his six-year term with a very high approval rating of 70%.

After the Presidency

Ricardo Lagos in 2024

After leaving office, Ricardo Lagos continued to be active. On March 24, 2006, he started his own foundation called Democracia y Desarrollo ("Democracy and Development") in Santiago. He also became the President of the Club de Madrid. This is a group of former presidents who work to promote democracy around the world.

In May 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Lagos as a Special Envoy on Climate Change. He worked alongside other important figures like Gro Harlem Brundtland.

In 2017, Lagos accepted a nomination to run for president again. However, he later decided to withdraw from the race. After this, he announced his retirement from politics.

Writing and Teaching

In early 2007, Lagos joined the editorial board of Americas Quarterly. This is a publication that focuses on policies and development in the Western Hemisphere. He writes articles for it regularly.

He also taught special seminars at universities. He taught at UC Berkeley's Center for Latin American Studies. In May 2007, Brown University announced that Lagos would teach at their Watson Institute for International Studies for five years. In 2013, he was a visiting professor at the University of São Paulo.

Awards and Honors

Presidential styles of Ricardo Lagos Escobar
Reference style	His Excellency
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Alternative style	Mr. President

Ricardo Lagos has received many awards and honors from Chile and other countries.

Awards

• On May 24, 2018, Harvard University awarded him a Doctor of Laws degree.

National Honors

• Grand Master (2000–2006) and Collar of the Order of Merit
• Grand Master (2000–2006) and Collar of the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins

Foreign Honors

•  Italy: Knight Grand Cross decorated with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (March 3, 2000)
•  Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (2001)
•  Slovakia: Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the Order of the White Double Cross (2001)
•  Croatia: Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav (February 6, 2004)
•  Spain: Knight Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (June 1, 2001)
•  Peru: Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun (July 29, 2001)
•  Hungary: Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2002)
•  Poland: Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2002)
•  Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (2002)
•  Romania: Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Star of Romania (2004)
•  Bulgaria: Grand Cross of the Order of the Balkan Mountains (2004)
•  Algeria: Order of the Athir (May 7, 2005)
•  Uruguay: Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (2002)

Images for kids

• 

  As Grand Master of the Chilean Order of Merit
  (attributed)

• 

  As Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
  (attributed)

See also

In Spanish: Ricardo Lagos para niños

• Politics of Chile
• Lissette García Bustamante