Rodrigo Chaves Robles facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rodrigo Chaves Robles
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Official portrait, 2022
|
|
| 49th President of Costa Rica | |
| Assumed office 8 May 2022 |
|
| Vice President | Stephan Brunner Mary Munive |
| Preceded by | Carlos Alvarado Quesada |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 30 October 2019 – 28 May 2020 |
|
| President | Carlos Alvarado Quesada |
| Preceded by | Rocío Aguilar Montoya |
| Succeeded by | Elián Villegas Valverde |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rodrigo Alberto de Jesús Chaves Robles
10 June 1961 San José, Costa Rica |
| Political party | PPSD (2020–present) |
| Spouses |
Monika Hempel Nanne
(m. 1986; div. 1996)Signe Zeicate
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Costa Rica (no degree) Ohio State University (BS, MA, PhD) |
Rodrigo Alberto de Jesús Chaves Robles (born 10 June 1961) is a Costa Rican politician and economist. He is the 49th and current President of Costa Rica, serving since 2022. Before becoming president, he was the Minister of Finance from 2019 to 2020. This was during the time Carlos Alvarado Quesada was president.
Contents
Biography
Chaves Robles was born in San José, Costa Rica, on 10 June 1961. He studied at Ohio State University in the United States. There, he earned degrees in agricultural economics. This field looks at how farming and food systems affect the economy.
Before becoming a minister, he worked for the World Bank. The World Bank is an international organization that helps countries develop. He was a country director for places like Indonesia, the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This job meant he helped guide the World Bank's work in those regions.
In 1992, he worked on a project in Indonesia. He researched poverty, especially in rural areas. After finishing his studies, the World Bank hired him to publish his research. Chaves decided to leave his job at the World Bank to return to Costa Rica.
Minister of Finance
On 30 October 2019, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, the president at the time, announced that Chaves would be the new Minister of Finance. Chaves officially started this job on 26 November 2019. As Minister of Finance, his main goals were to make sure tax laws were followed. He also wanted to collect more existing taxes and fight against people avoiding taxes. Another goal was to control how much the government spent.
In February 2020, Chaves suggested a new law. This law would use extra money from public institutions to help pay off the country's debt.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Chaves talked about an idea. He suggested a special tax on some salaries to help people who lost their jobs. This idea received criticism, and President Alvarado decided not to go forward with it.
On 19 May 2020, Chaves resigned from his position. This happened after he disagreed with President Alvarado about a new law.
2022 Costa Rican General Election
In July 2021, Rodrigo Chaves announced he would run for president of Costa Rica. He was the candidate for the Social Democratic Progress Party.
During his campaign, Chaves focused on several key areas:
- Fighting Corruption: He wanted to punish those who did not report bad actions in government.
- Transparency: He aimed for more openness between the government and the public. He planned to share daily reports of government activities.
- Unemployment: He wanted to help more women join the workforce. He also aimed to increase the number of graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
- Education and Business: He supported teaching in two languages. He also promised to welcome foreign businesses to Costa Rica.
- Lowering Living Costs: He proposed a five-step plan to make life more affordable. This included removing taxes from basic food items. He also wanted to lower the price of rice and electricity. His plan also aimed to end monopolies and help farmers.
- COVID-19: He stated he did not support making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory.
Chaves was against same-sex marriages. However, these marriages have been allowed in Costa Rica since 2020.
Many people saw Chaves as someone who challenged the usual political system. He was described as having liberal economic views. He was also seen as socially conservative and strong on law and order.
On 6 February 2022, it was announced that Chaves would face former president José María Figueres Olsen in a second election round. This second round took place on 3 April. Chaves won the election. He thanked his supporters and asked Figueres to help him lead the country. Figueres accepted the results and congratulated Chaves. The outgoing president, Carlos Alvarado Quesada, also congratulated Chaves.
Presidency
Chaves became the 49th president of Costa Rica on 8 May 2022. During his inauguration, he spoke about the importance of wisdom for a leader.
Cyber Attack on Costa Rican Government
Starting in April 2022, the Costa Rican government faced serious cyberattacks. These attacks used a type of harmful software called ransomware. It affected the government's ability to collect taxes. It also put citizens' personal information at risk.
President Chaves declared a state of emergency to deal with these attacks. He said the attacks were "unprecedented" for the country. A group called Conti gang, which speaks Russian, said they were responsible. The U.S. State Department offered a reward for information about the leaders of this group.
COVID-19 Policies
As president, Chaves changed some COVID-19 rules. He removed the rule that made masks mandatory in public places. He also issued a rule that encouraged public institutions not to punish workers who had not been vaccinated against COVID-19. This was a change from the previous government's policy.
Escazú Agreement
The Escazú Agreement is an international agreement. It aims to give citizens more access to information about environmental issues. It also seeks to increase their involvement in decisions about the environment.
President Chaves decided not to approve this agreement for Costa Rica. He stated that fighting global warming was not his top priority. He wanted to "reassure the private sector" (businesses). He also announced plans to restart the use of mining, gas, and oil resources in the country.
Interactions with the Press
During his first two years in office, President Chaves has been critical of some newspapers and journalists. He has used his position to take actions related to a company owned by a newspaper's parent company. During his weekly press conferences, President Chaves has sometimes criticized individual journalists. He has also had his security team remove journalists from press conferences.
Logging Permits in Gandoca-Manzanillo
President Chaves' government allowed logging in the Jairo Mora Sandoval Gandoca-Manzanillo Mixed Wildlife Refuge. This area is in the Southern Caribbean part of Costa Rica. These logging permits were controversial. Earlier rulings by the Supreme Court had said that this area was protected by environmental laws.
Honours
Panama:
- Collar of the Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero (23 August 2024)
Ukraine:
- First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (23 August 2024)
See also
In Spanish: Rodrigo Chaves para niños
