Ricardo Martinelli
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal (born 11 March 1952) is a Panama
nian politician and businessman who was elected the 49th President of Panama in 2009. He is a Panamanian of Italian
descent from his father's side.
, Martinelli is the son of Ricardo Martinelli Pardini and Gloria Berrocal Fabrega. He completed his secondary education
at Staunton Military Academy
in Staunton
, Virginia
in the United States
. In 1973, he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration
degree from the University of Arkansas
. He later earned a Master of Business Administration
degree from the INCAE
Business School. Martinelli is married to Marta Linares and has three children: Ricardo Martinelli Linares, Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Carolina Martinelli Linares.
of Panama's Super 99 supermarket chain. He is chairman of two other companies and sits on the boards of at least eight other companies.
, Martinelli served as Director of Social Security
from 1994 to 1996. From September 1999 to January 2003, during the presidency of Mireya Moscoso
, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal
and as the Minister for Canal Affairs.
Martinelli is the president of the Democratic Change party, which was founded in May 1998. He led the party and was the presidential candidate during the 2004 general election, when his party came last; Martinelli received 5.3% of the vote and came in a distant fourth place in the presidential election.
Martinelli was the leader of Democratic Change and presidential candidate in the 2009 general election
. He made promises to cut political corruption and reduce violent crime and spent an estimated $35 million on promoting his campaign. Martinelli was the favourite to win the election and opinion polls gave him a double-digit lead over the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party
-People's Party
coalition. He had the support of the Alliance for Change, a group of political parties which includes his own Democratic Change party, the Panameñista Party
, the Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement
and the Patriotic Union Party
.
In 2004 Ricardo Martinelli founded "The Ricardo Martinelli Foundation", for which he acts as fundraiser. The Foundation grants more than 8,000 scholarships a year to poor students with good scholastic averages.
On May 3, 2009, Ricardo Martinelli won the national elections by a landslide, with over 60% of the votes compared to his closest rival, Balbina Herrera
, who received about 36%. This was the second-largest majority in Panamanian history, and the largest since 1989. He was sworn in on July 1, 2009.
Since coming to office, Martinelli has introduced a number of measures designed to alleviate poverty, including a $100 monthly pension for the elderly, an increase in the minimum wage, and subsidies for students to meet the cost of uniforms and supplies.
established the Ricardo A. Martinelli Berrocal Scholarship to provide financial aid to prospective University of Arkansas students from Panama. He was also presented with the Citation of Distinguished Alumnus award, and made an official ambassador of the State of Arkansas by Governor Mike Beebe.
On October 30, 2010, Martinelli was in attendance for the University of Arkansas's homecoming festivities and crowned the 2010 Homecoming King. The Razorback beat the Vanderbilt Commodores
49-14.
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
nian politician and businessman who was elected the 49th President of Panama in 2009. He is a Panamanian of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
descent from his father's side.
Early life
Born in Panama CityPanama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
, Martinelli is the son of Ricardo Martinelli Pardini and Gloria Berrocal Fabrega. He completed his secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
at Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy was an all-male military academy located in Staunton, Virginia for much of its 116-year history. The school closed in 1976. Many notable American political and military leaders are graduates...
in Staunton
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1973, he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration
Bachelor of Business Administration
The Bachelor of Business Administration is a bachelor's degree in Commerce and business administration. In most universities, the degree is conferred upon a student after four years of full-time study in one or more areas of business concentrations; see below...
degree from the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
. He later earned a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
degree from the INCAE
INCAE
INCAE Business School is a business school located in Latin America. It has 2 locations, the Francisco de Sola campus in Nicaragua and the Walter Kissling Gam campus in Costa Rica...
Business School. Martinelli is married to Marta Linares and has three children: Ricardo Martinelli Linares, Luis Enrique Martinelli Linares and Carolina Martinelli Linares.
Business career
Martinelli is currently the chairman of the boardBoard of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
of Panama's Super 99 supermarket chain. He is chairman of two other companies and sits on the boards of at least eight other companies.
Politics
During the presidency of Ernesto Pérez BalladaresErnesto Pérez Balladares
Ernesto Pérez Balladares González-Revilla was the President of Panama between 1994 and 1999. Nicknamed "El Toro" , Ernesto Pérez Balladares is married to Dora Boyd Preciado, with 3 daughters.-Studies :...
, Martinelli served as Director of Social Security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
from 1994 to 1996. From September 1999 to January 2003, during the presidency of Mireya Moscoso
Mireya Moscoso
Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodríguez de Arias is a Panamanian political figure. She was the President of Panama from 1999 to 2004, representing the Arnulfista Party...
, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and as the Minister for Canal Affairs.
Martinelli is the president of the Democratic Change party, which was founded in May 1998. He led the party and was the presidential candidate during the 2004 general election, when his party came last; Martinelli received 5.3% of the vote and came in a distant fourth place in the presidential election.
Martinelli was the leader of Democratic Change and presidential candidate in the 2009 general election
Panamanian general election, 2009
Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Panama on May 3, 2009.The government-supported presidential candidate and member of the Democratic Revolutionary Party was the former Housing Minister Balbina Herrera. The Liberal Party and the People's Party were in alliance with the PRD, in...
. He made promises to cut political corruption and reduce violent crime and spent an estimated $35 million on promoting his campaign. Martinelli was the favourite to win the election and opinion polls gave him a double-digit lead over the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party
Democratic Revolutionary Party
The Democratic Revolutionary Party is a Panamanian political party. It was founded in 1979 by the General Omar Torrijos, and is generally described as a party of the centre-left of the political spectrum.-History and creation:...
-People's Party
People's Party (Panama)
The People's Party was founded in the early 1960s. It was the main opposition party during the dictatorship of Manuel Noriega. The party supported Martín Torrijos in the presidential election of 2004...
coalition. He had the support of the Alliance for Change, a group of political parties which includes his own Democratic Change party, the Panameñista Party
Panameñista Party
- Founding and early history :The party is the oldest in Panama. It was founded in 1932 by Arnulfo Arias Madrid, a prominent medical , as the National Revolutionary Party. Its membership largely came from Patriotic Communal Action, a nationalist organization that opposed the large amount of...
, the Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement
The Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement is a center-to-right, pro-business liberal political party in Panama....
and the Patriotic Union Party
Patriotic Union Party (Panama)
The Patriotic Union is a political party in Panama. It was formed when the National Liberal Party and the Solidarity Party merged.The party's current president is Guillermo Ford...
.
In 2004 Ricardo Martinelli founded "The Ricardo Martinelli Foundation", for which he acts as fundraiser. The Foundation grants more than 8,000 scholarships a year to poor students with good scholastic averages.
On May 3, 2009, Ricardo Martinelli won the national elections by a landslide, with over 60% of the votes compared to his closest rival, Balbina Herrera
Balbina Herrera
Balbina Del Carmen Herrera Araúz is a Panamanian politician and presidential candidate in the Panamanian general election, 2009. On May 3, 2009, she lost the race to the presidency of the Republic of Panama to center-right candidate Ricardo Martinelli....
, who received about 36%. This was the second-largest majority in Panamanian history, and the largest since 1989. He was sworn in on July 1, 2009.
Since coming to office, Martinelli has introduced a number of measures designed to alleviate poverty, including a $100 monthly pension for the elderly, an increase in the minimum wage, and subsidies for students to meet the cost of uniforms and supplies.
Honors
On February 20, 2010, the University of ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
established the Ricardo A. Martinelli Berrocal Scholarship to provide financial aid to prospective University of Arkansas students from Panama. He was also presented with the Citation of Distinguished Alumnus award, and made an official ambassador of the State of Arkansas by Governor Mike Beebe.
On October 30, 2010, Martinelli was in attendance for the University of Arkansas's homecoming festivities and crowned the 2010 Homecoming King. The Razorback beat the Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vanderbilt Commodores are the NCAA athletic teams of Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The university fields 16 varsity teams , 14 of which compete in the Southeastern Conference...
49-14.
External links
- Biography by CIDOB Foundation (in Spanish)
- Tupolitica.com News (in Spanish)
- SUBJECT: MARTINELLI WIRETAP REQUEST SHOWS DARK SIDE OF NEW GOP