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 2 March 1938) is a Chilean lawyer and economist. He is also a politician who served as the president of Chile from 2000 to 2006.

During the 1980s, he was a well-known opponent of the military dictatorship in Chile. He even 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.

In 1999, he won the presidential election in a close race. Ricardo Lagos was the third president from the center-left group called the Coalition of Parties for Democracy. He was followed by Michelle Bachelet in 2006. From 2007 to 2010, he worked as a special envoy for the United Nations Secretary-General on climate change.

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 was a farmer who passed away when Ricardo was eight years old.

He went to primary school at Liceo Experimental Manuel de Salas. For high school, he attended the famous Instituto Nacional.

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.

While at university, Lagos enjoyed the lectures of historian Jaime Eyzaguirre.

Education and International Work

After finishing his law degree at the University of Chile in 1960, Lagos continued his studies. He earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University in 1966. During this time, he was also 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.

Lagos in 1969

In the 1970s, Lagos worked with the United Nations. He was a Chilean delegate and gave an important speech about global financial issues. In 1972, President Salvador Allende wanted to make Lagos the Chilean ambassador to the Soviet Union. However, this appointment was not approved by Congress.

After the 1973 military takeover, Lagos and his family went to live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He worked there as 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 was a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme.

Lagos returned to Chile in 1978. He worked for a United Nations program that advised South American governments on employment.

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 president of the Democratic Alliance, a group of parties against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet.

In 1987, he encouraged people to register to vote "no" in a special vote in 1988. This vote was to decide if Pinochet should stay as president.

Lagos became a very important leader against Pinochet after a famous TV appearance. On a show called De cara al país, he spoke directly to the camera. He told Pinochet that he was not being honest with the country. He reminded Pinochet that he had promised not to run for president again. Lagos said it was wrong for anyone to want to stay in power for 25 years, especially with "tortures, murders, and human rights violations."

This moment, known as "Lagos' finger," was very brave. Many people thought he might be in danger for speaking out. Pinochet did not run for president in 1989, as Lagos had pointed out.

After the "No" vote won, Pinochet resigned. Lagos chose not to run for president himself. Instead, he supported Patricio Aylwin, who became president. Lagos ran for a seat in the Senate but did not win.

In 1990, President Patricio Aylwin appointed Lagos as Minister of Education. In this role, he worked to make education more equal and improve its quality. In 1993, he ran in the primary election to become the presidential candidate for his coalition. He lost to Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, who then became president.

In 1994, President Frei named Lagos Minister of Public Works. Here, he created new ways to build roads and other projects. He brought private companies into building and managing these works. He became a strong candidate for the next presidential election. He was also chosen as a member of the "Committee of Twelve Distinguished Members" of the Socialist International. This group worked on new ideas for social democracy in the 21st century.

In 1999, Lagos left his minister role to start his presidential campaign. He won his party's primary election. In the first round of the presidential election, he narrowly beat Joaquín Lavín. Since he didn't get more than half the votes, a second round was held in January 2000. Lagos won with 51.3 percent of the vote, becoming the new President of Chile.

Presidency (2000–2006)

Key Actions and Challenges

Lagos visits Paniahue in 2001.

During his first year as president, Lagos worked to reduce unemployment. This was a challenge due to political issues in the region. He also promised to keep the country's budget balanced and inflation low.

Lagos was very popular with the people. His approval rating was often around 55%, and it reached 60-70% by 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 made the Palacio de La Moneda (the presidential palace) open to the public again. It had been closed since the 1973 military takeover.

On 3 April 2001, the Chilean Parliament voted to end the death penalty for civilian crimes. This law set the highest punishment as life imprisonment. President Lagos signed this bill into law weeks later.

Working with Other Countries

Lagos in 2006

In 2004, Lagos faced some challenges with other South American countries. Bolivia wanted access to the sea, which caused some tension with Chile. This was also connected to a natural gas shortage in Argentina, which supplied gas to Chile.

Bolivia and Argentina agreed that no gas sold to Argentina would then be sold to Chile. The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, also supported Bolivia's claim for sea access. This caused some diplomatic disagreements between Chile and Venezuela, but the tension lessened later in 2004.

Presidential Achievements

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

During Ricardo Lagos' time as president, many important things happened:

• Chile signed Free Trade Agreements with the European Community, the United States, South Korea, and China.
• Extreme poverty in Chile was greatly reduced.
• The legal workweek was shortened from 48 to 45 hours.
• Improvements were made to roads and transportation.
• An unemployment insurance system was created to help people who lost their jobs.
• The AUGE health program was started, which guarantees medical care for many health conditions.
• The Chile Barrio program helped improve housing.
• The Chile Solidario program supported families in need.
• Compulsory schooling was extended to 12 years.
• Chile's first divorce law was approved.
• Money was given to victims of torture during the Pinochet era, based on the Valech Report.
• A new version of the constitution was signed.

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

After the Presidency

Ricardo Lagos in 2024

Political Activities

After leaving office, Ricardo Lagos started his own foundation in Santiago called Democracia y Desarrollo (Democracy and Development). 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 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Lagos as a Special Envoy on Climate Change. He worked on important environmental issues for the United Nations.

In 2017, Lagos considered running for president again. However, he later decided not to, and announced his retirement from politics.

Writing and Teaching

In 2007, Lagos joined the editorial board of Americas Quarterly. This publication focuses on politics and development in the Americas. He writes articles for them regularly.

He also taught a special seminar at UC Berkeley called "Democracy and Development in Latin America." In 2007, Brown University announced that Lagos would teach there for five years. In 2013, he was a visiting professor at the University of São Paulo.

Awards and Honours

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

Awards

• On 24 May 2018, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University.

National Honours

• 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 Honours

•  Italy: Knight Grand Cross decorated with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (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 (2004)
•  Spain: Knight Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (2001)
•  Peru: Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun (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 (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