Rodrigo Ávila
Encyclopedia
Rodrigo Ávila is a Salvadoran politician. He stood as the then ruling political party ARENA
candidate for the presidency of El Salvador
in the March 2009 presidential election
. Upon his nomination, Ávila also became the President of ARENA. He has since resigned as President of the ARENA party. Former President, Alfredo Cristiani
has since assumed the role of ARENA party President.
Despues de la dura derrota contra Mauricio Funes, el pais se fue a la quiebra.
His opponent, and victor of the contest, was Mauricio Funes
of the FMLN
. He is the first ARENA candidate to lose a Presidential election after Roberto D'Aubuisson
.
He graduated from a local Catholic High School, Liceo Salvadoreño
, in 1982, and graduated with an engineering degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University
in Raleigh, North Carolina
. USA, in 1988. Ávila has also studied mathematics and administration at Gainesville State College
and police science at Texas A&M University
and the FBI National Academy
.
took over in June.
Rodrigo Ávila's family was involved from the beginnings in the establishment of ARENA, with his older brother Roberto being one of the party's founding fathers. Ávila himself was not substantially involved in partisan politics until he was asked by the ARENA leadership to run as mayor of Santa Tecla
, a small suburb of San Salvador. He lost to the incumbent mayor Óscar Ortiz
, of the FMLN party in 2000.
For the next three years, Ávila worked as a security consultant, and as partner of a security firm. In 2003 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
representing La Libertad
, where he was named deputy chief of the legislative faction of ARENA.
After one term in the national legislature, Ávila was named Viceminister of Security in the administration of President Elías Antonio Saca
until he resigned to become, once again, Director of the National Civilian Police.
Nationalist Republican Alliance
The Nationalist Republican Alliance is a conservative political party in El Salvador. It was founded on September 30, 1981, by Roberto D'Aubuisson, in order to oppose the reformist military junta that was ruling El Salvador at the time...
candidate for the presidency of El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
in the March 2009 presidential election
Salvadoran presidential election, 2009
A presidential election was held in El Salvador on 15 March 2009. The main candidates were Rodrigo Ávila and Mauricio Funes . Funes won the election with 51.3% of the vote.-Polls:...
. Upon his nomination, Ávila also became the President of ARENA. He has since resigned as President of the ARENA party. Former President, Alfredo Cristiani
Alfredo Cristiani
Alfredo Félix Cristiani Burkard, popularly known as Alfredo Cristiani was President of El Salvador from 1989 to 1994....
has since assumed the role of ARENA party President.
Despues de la dura derrota contra Mauricio Funes, el pais se fue a la quiebra.
His opponent, and victor of the contest, was Mauricio Funes
Mauricio Funes
Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena is the President of El Salvador. He won the 2009 presidential election as the candidate of the left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front political party and took office on 1 June 2009.-Biography:Funes is married to Dr. Vanada Pignado, who was involved in...
of the FMLN
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front is, since 1992, a left-wing political party in El Salvador and formerly a coalition of five revolutionary guerrilla organizations...
. He is the first ARENA candidate to lose a Presidential election after Roberto D'Aubuisson
Roberto D'Aubuisson
Major Roberto D'Aubuisson Arrieta was the Salvadoran Army officer and political leader who founded the Nationalist Republican Alliance , which he led from 1980 to 1985...
.
Personal life and education
Rodrigo Ávila is married to Celina Denys de Ávila, his second wife, and has two daughters and one stepdaughter. He is the youngest of four children; his father is Roberto Ávila Moreira, a local medical doctor, and Thelma Avilez, a homemaker originally from Nicaragua.He graduated from a local Catholic High School, Liceo Salvadoreño
Liceo Salvadoreño
Liceo Salvadoreño is a private Catholic educational institution located in San Salvador, El Salvador. The School is under the guidance of the Marist Brothers since 1924...
, in 1982, and graduated with an engineering degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. USA, in 1988. Ávila has also studied mathematics and administration at Gainesville State College
Gainesville State College
Gainesville State College is a state college of the University System of Georgia serving northeast Georgia since 1964. The Gainesville State College Gainesville Campus, located 45 miles northeast of Atlanta and six miles southwest of downtown Gainesville in Oakwood, is on Georgia State Route 53...
and police science at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
and the FBI National Academy
FBI National Academy
The FBI National Academy is an independent program for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders. The first session began on July 29, 1935, with 23 students in attendance. At the time, professional development for law enforcement leaders was largely non-existent. The program focuses on...
.
Professional life
After his return to El Salvador from college, Ávila worked briefly for the local Shell subsidiary as Regional Sales Manager for lubrication products. He left the company in 1993 to join as Sub-Director of the recently created Policía Nacional Civil (PNC), which substituted the old military police abolished during the peace accords of 1992. After the resignation of the PNC's first director, Dr. José María Monterrey, Ávila assumed the top post as interim director, until his thirtieth birthday, when he was finally confirmed as permanent Director (the charter of the Policía Nacional Civil states that the director must be thirty years of age or older). Ávila held this post until 1999, when the new administration of Francisco FloresFrancisco Flores Pérez
Francisco Guillermo Flores Pérez is an ex president of El Salvador. He led the country from June 1 1999 until June 1 2004 as a member of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance .-Background:...
took over in June.
Rodrigo Ávila's family was involved from the beginnings in the establishment of ARENA, with his older brother Roberto being one of the party's founding fathers. Ávila himself was not substantially involved in partisan politics until he was asked by the ARENA leadership to run as mayor of Santa Tecla
Santa Tecla, El Salvador
Santa Tecla is a municipality in the La Libertad department of El Salvador. It is the capital of the department of La Libertad.The city was named after Saint Thecla who was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul of Tarsus in the 1st century AD...
, a small suburb of San Salvador. He lost to the incumbent mayor Óscar Ortiz
Oscar Ortiz (El Salvador)
Óscar Ortiz is the mayor of the Salvadoran city of Santa Tecla. He has served in that position since 2000, and was re-elected in 2003 and 2006. Ortiz is a member of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front the main left wing party in El Salvador...
, of the FMLN party in 2000.
For the next three years, Ávila worked as a security consultant, and as partner of a security firm. In 2003 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of El Salvador
The Legislative Assembly is the legislative branch of the government of El Salvador.The Salvadoran legislature is a unicameral body....
representing La Libertad
La Libertad
La Libertad can refer to:;Ecuador*La Libertad, Guayas*La Libertad Canton;El Salvador*La Libertad, La Libertad*La Libertad Department;Honduras*La Libertad, Comayagua*La Libertad, Francisco Morazán;Guatemala*La Libertad, El Petén...
, where he was named deputy chief of the legislative faction of ARENA.
After one term in the national legislature, Ávila was named Viceminister of Security in the administration of President Elías Antonio Saca
Antonio Saca
Elías Antonio Saca González is a Salvadoran politician and was the President of El Salvador. He was elected President in 2004 to serve a five-year term that ended in 2009....
until he resigned to become, once again, Director of the National Civilian Police.
Sources
- D’Aubuisson estaría orgulloso de mí, Entrevista con Rodrigo Ávila El Faro Electronic News Magazine
- RODRIGO PRESIDENTE Official Campaign Website
- Derecha salvadoreña elige candidato presidencial a Rodrigo Avila, March 15, 2008
- Rodrigo Ávila's official biography
- Rodrigo Ávila candidato por ARENA, BusinessLeone.com, March 15, 2008