Sandra Torres facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sandra Torres
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Torres in 2019
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| General Secretary of the National Unity of Hope | |
| In office 20 May 2012 – 31 August 2021 |
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| First Lady of Guatemala | |
| In role 14 January 2008 – 7 April 2011 |
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| President | Álvaro Colom |
| Preceded by | Wendy de Berger |
| Succeeded by | Rosa Leal de Pérez |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sandra Julieta Torres Casanova
5 October 1955 Melchor de Mencos, Petén, Guatemala |
| Political party | National Unity of Hope |
| Other political affiliations |
Authentic Integral Development (1993–2000) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Nadia de León Torres (daughter) |
| Education | University of San Carlos of Guatemala (BA) Rafael Landívar University (MPP) |
Sandra Julieta Torres Casanova (born 5 October 1955) is a politician from Guatemala. She served as the First Lady from 2008 to 2011. She was married to Álvaro Colom, who was the President at that time.
Sandra Torres has run for president three times. She was a candidate for the National Unity of Hope party in the elections of 2015, 2019, and 2023. In each of these elections, she finished in second place.
Early Life and Education
Sandra Julieta Torres Casanova was born on 5 October 1955. Her hometown is Melchor de Mencos in the Petén region of Guatemala. Her parents are Enrique Torres and Teresa Casanova.
She studied Communication Sciences at San Carlos University. She also earned a master's degree in Public Policy from Rafael Landívar University.
Political Career
Sandra Torres has spent much of her career working in politics. She has focused on social development programs. These programs often help women, children, and people with special needs.
She helped create new laws through her political party, the National Unity of Hope (UNE). Her former husband was a leader in this party, and she is also a director.
Some of the laws she supported include:
- A law against violence towards women, approved in 2008.
- A law about responsible parenting, approved in 2008.
Sandra Torres also helped start the National Coordinator of Women for her political party. This group allowed over 30,000 Guatemalan women to share their needs. These women included those from the Garifuna and Xinca communities.
Before her political roles, Sandra Torres worked in private businesses. She managed textile production and clothing factories. She also led the Council of Social Cohesion. This group worked to reduce extreme poverty in Guatemala. They created programs to improve education, healthcare, and local infrastructure.
Running for President
During her husband's time as president (2008-2012), Sandra Torres was very active. She helped create programs that gave government aid to people in need. This made her popular, especially among poorer communities.
She wanted to run for president in the 2011 election. However, Guatemala's Constitution has a rule. It says that close relatives of the current president cannot run for president. To try and get around this rule, she divorced her husband. But the court still said she could not be a candidate.
By the 2015 election, the rules no longer stopped her. She ran as a candidate for the National Unity of Hope party. She came in second place in the first round of voting. This meant she went to a second round against Jimmy Morales. She lost the election in this second round.
She ran again in the 2019 presidential election. She promised to create jobs and fight poverty. She also said she would improve health and education. These promises aimed to encourage Guatemalans to stay in their country. ..... She was defeated in the second round by Alejandro Giammattei.
Sandra Torres ran for president a third time in the 2023 election. She finished in first place in the first round of voting. Her running mate was Romeo Guerra. However, she was defeated in the second round by Bernardo Arévalo.
Images for kids
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Sandra Torres in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Sandra Torres para niños
