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 was the First Lady of Guatemala 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 2015, 2019, and 2023 elections. In each of these elections, she finished in second place.
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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 and Social Work
Sandra Torres has spent much of her career working on social development. She has focused on programs and laws for women, children, and people with special needs. She is a director in the National Unity of Hope (UNE) political party.
She helped create important laws, such as:
- A law against Feminicide, 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 helped over 30,000 Guatemalan women share their needs. These women included those from the Garifuna and Xinca communities.
She also worked as a businesswoman. She managed textile production and clothing factories. Later, she led the Council of Social Cohesion. This group helped guide social investments to fight extreme poverty in Guatemala. They worked on improving education, healthcare, and infrastructure. They also helped with national rebuilding after natural disasters.
Running for President
During her husband Álvaro Colom's time as president (2008-2012), Sandra Torres was very active. She helped create programs to give government aid to people in need. This made her popular, especially among poorer communities.
Presidential Campaigns
Sandra Torres decided to run for president in the 2011 Guatemalan general election. However, she was not allowed to be a candidate. Guatemala's Constitution says that close relatives of the current president cannot run for office. She divorced her husband, President Álvaro Colom. But this was seen as a way to get around the law.
In the 2015 Guatemalan general election, she could run without restrictions. She was the candidate for the National Unity of Hope party. She came in second place in the first round of voting. She then went to a runoff election against Jimmy Morales. She lost the election in the second round.
She ran again in the 2019 Guatemalan general election. She promised to find "complete solutions" to help people. This included fighting poverty and creating jobs. She wanted to convince Guatemalans to stay in their country. She also promised to improve health and education. She lost the second round of the election to Alejandro Giammattei.
Torres ran for president a third time in the 2023 Guatemalan general election. She finished first in the initial round of voting. However, she was defeated in the second round by Bernardo Arévalo.
See also
In Spanish: Sandra Torres para niños
