Sandra Torres (politician)
Encyclopedia
Sandra Julieta Torres Casanova is the former First Lady of Guatemala
. Along with her ex-husband, President Alvaro Colom Caballeros
, she is of Guatemalan nationality, originally from the county of Melchor de Mencos
, in the department of Petén. She has a degree in Communication Sciences from the University San Carlos de Guatemala and a Masters degree in Public Politics from the University Rafael Landívar de Guatemala
.
. She also speaks English and is currently studying Quiché, one of the predominant Mayan
languages in Guatemala. She has spent most of her professional lifetime promoting politics, plans, programs, projects and laws concerning social development, specially of women, children and people with special needs. Within the legal initiatives that she has promoted from inside the political party Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza
(UNE) (in which she is also a director) are:
Sandra Torres de Colom was founder of the Coordinadora Nacional de la Mujer (Nacional Coordinator of the Women) for the political party Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza, through which more than 30,000 Guatemalan women (Garifuna and Xinca
amongst them) have channeled their specific demands. The action in favor of women has been reflected within the corporate area. Sandra Torres de Colom, as a businessperson, has worked at private companies and been responsible for textile production and administration of clothing factories. In her role as first lady, Torres has taken over crucial parts of the government which she should have no power over according to the Constitution. Former government members who have left office have claimed that she approves or rejects any action of relative importance and that she deliberately manages every single government budget in order to transfer funds to her programs. In Colom's term, millions of dollars have been transferred over from education, health, defense and homeland security budgets and have been used to promote Torres anticipating the fact that she would run, against the law, for president in the 2011 elections.
She also was president of Consejo de Cohesión Social (Counsel of Social Cohesion), an institute in charge of orienting social investment for the eradication of extreme poverty and combating poverty in general. The group employs programs and projects focused on improving the coverage and quality of education, healthcare, infrastructure, sustainability and national reconstruction (specifically pertaining to the disasters Hurricane Stan
, landslides in the county of La Unión, Zacapa, and Storm 16
).
On March 8 2011, Sandra Torres de Colom publicly accepted to be the presidential nominee for the UNE political party for the upcoming 2011 elections despite Constitutional article 186 which prohibits her from doing so. The Constitutional Court will have the last word in the interpretation of the Constitutional article, even though the article gives no room for interpretation. However, within the newly appointed magistrates of the Constitutional court there are at least four who have had a close relationship with Colom and Torres; one of them is even a former attorney of Torres. This confirmed political experts' predictions that the election of the Court would be done in an obscure way that would benefit Torres.
In the event that the magistrates ruled against Torres, there had been rumors that the presidential couple would bypass the constitutional impediment by filing for divorce. This became a reality on March 21 2011, when it was known that President Colom and First Lady Torres had already filed for divorce on March 11. This was initially denied by Torres and other UNE party members, but opposition members maintained their position claiming the divorce was a reality. President Colom even went to say that to file for divorce for political purposes was immoral.
On June 30 2011 , Guatemala's Supreme Court Of Justice ruled out the candidacy for president by a 12-1 vote, the Supreme Court Of Justice ruled out the candidacy for president due to issues related to a constitutional banning and a serious intent to bend the law via divorce. Days later the Guatemala´s Constitutional Court proceed to call for a public view to review arguments of ex-First Lady Torres and counterpart Adela de Torrebiarte presidential candidate for the party ADN (National Development Action) who was opposing the inconstitutional candidacy of Torres claiming intent to bend the law and to prevent infrigment of a constitutional article banning relatives of the president to run for presidency, 5 days later on August 8 2011, the Constitutional Court ruled out definitively the candidacy for president of Torres by a vote of 7-0 arguing that intent to bend the law was not fully commited but instead the Constitutional Court ruled that the constitutional article banning relatives of the president to run for presidency was subject of infrigment, with this rule Sandra Torres was out of presidential contention campaign.
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. Along with her ex-husband, President Alvaro Colom Caballeros
Álvaro Colom
Álvaro Colom Caballeros is the President of Guatemala for the 2008–2012 term and leader of the social-democratic National Unity of Hope .-Early years:...
, she is of Guatemalan nationality, originally from the county of Melchor de Mencos
Melchor de Mencos
Melchor de Mencos is a municipality in the Petén department of Guatemala with population 23,813. It is situated on the western border with Belize,a and is the only major border crossing from Guatemala to Belize....
, in the department of Petén. She has a degree in Communication Sciences from the University San Carlos de Guatemala and a Masters degree in Public Politics from the University Rafael Landívar de Guatemala
Rafael Landívar University
Universidad Rafael Landívar is a private, Jesuit University in Guatemala. The main campus is in Zone 16 of Guatemala City and is known as Vista Hermosa III, and there are satellite campuses in Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, Cobán, Zacapa and other parts of the country.Many recent Guatemalan...
.
Politic Relevancy
Her mother language is SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. She also speaks English and is currently studying Quiché, one of the predominant Mayan
Mayan languages
The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least 6 million indigenous Maya, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize and Honduras...
languages in Guatemala. She has spent most of her professional lifetime promoting politics, plans, programs, projects and laws concerning social development, specially of women, children and people with special needs. Within the legal initiatives that she has promoted from inside the political party Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza
National Unity of Hope
The National Unity of Hope is a political party in Guatemala. It was founded in 2002 and defines itself as a social-democratic and social-Christian party....
(UNE) (in which she is also a director) are:
- Initiative of Law Against Feminicide. Approved in the first semester of 2008.
- Initiative of Law of Responsible Parenting. Approved in August 2008.
Sandra Torres de Colom was founder of the Coordinadora Nacional de la Mujer (Nacional Coordinator of the Women) for the political party Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza, through which more than 30,000 Guatemalan women (Garifuna and Xinca
Xinca people
The Xinca are a non-Mayan indigenous people of Mesoamerica, with communities in the southern portion of Guatemala, near its border with El Salvador, and in the mountainous region to the north....
amongst them) have channeled their specific demands. The action in favor of women has been reflected within the corporate area. Sandra Torres de Colom, as a businessperson, has worked at private companies and been responsible for textile production and administration of clothing factories. In her role as first lady, Torres has taken over crucial parts of the government which she should have no power over according to the Constitution. Former government members who have left office have claimed that she approves or rejects any action of relative importance and that she deliberately manages every single government budget in order to transfer funds to her programs. In Colom's term, millions of dollars have been transferred over from education, health, defense and homeland security budgets and have been used to promote Torres anticipating the fact that she would run, against the law, for president in the 2011 elections.
She also was president of Consejo de Cohesión Social (Counsel of Social Cohesion), an institute in charge of orienting social investment for the eradication of extreme poverty and combating poverty in general. The group employs programs and projects focused on improving the coverage and quality of education, healthcare, infrastructure, sustainability and national reconstruction (specifically pertaining to the disasters Hurricane Stan
Hurricane Stan
Hurricane Stan was the eighteenth named tropical storm and eleventh hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It was also the sixth of seven tropical cyclones to make landfall in Mexico. Stan was a relatively weak storm that only briefly reached hurricane status...
, landslides in the county of La Unión, Zacapa, and Storm 16
Tropical Depression Sixteen (2008)
Tropical Depression Sixteen was the only tropical cyclone not to intensify into a tropical storm during the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The sixteenth tropical cyclone of the season, Tropical Depression Sixteen developed partially from a tropical wave in the western Caribbean Sea on October 14...
).
On March 8 2011, Sandra Torres de Colom publicly accepted to be the presidential nominee for the UNE political party for the upcoming 2011 elections despite Constitutional article 186 which prohibits her from doing so. The Constitutional Court will have the last word in the interpretation of the Constitutional article, even though the article gives no room for interpretation. However, within the newly appointed magistrates of the Constitutional court there are at least four who have had a close relationship with Colom and Torres; one of them is even a former attorney of Torres. This confirmed political experts' predictions that the election of the Court would be done in an obscure way that would benefit Torres.
In the event that the magistrates ruled against Torres, there had been rumors that the presidential couple would bypass the constitutional impediment by filing for divorce. This became a reality on March 21 2011, when it was known that President Colom and First Lady Torres had already filed for divorce on March 11. This was initially denied by Torres and other UNE party members, but opposition members maintained their position claiming the divorce was a reality. President Colom even went to say that to file for divorce for political purposes was immoral.
On June 30 2011 , Guatemala's Supreme Court Of Justice ruled out the candidacy for president by a 12-1 vote, the Supreme Court Of Justice ruled out the candidacy for president due to issues related to a constitutional banning and a serious intent to bend the law via divorce. Days later the Guatemala´s Constitutional Court proceed to call for a public view to review arguments of ex-First Lady Torres and counterpart Adela de Torrebiarte presidential candidate for the party ADN (National Development Action) who was opposing the inconstitutional candidacy of Torres claiming intent to bend the law and to prevent infrigment of a constitutional article banning relatives of the president to run for presidency, 5 days later on August 8 2011, the Constitutional Court ruled out definitively the candidacy for president of Torres by a vote of 7-0 arguing that intent to bend the law was not fully commited but instead the Constitutional Court ruled that the constitutional article banning relatives of the president to run for presidency was subject of infrigment, with this rule Sandra Torres was out of presidential contention campaign.
External links
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandra-De-Colom/140769519267479?ref=ts&v=info#!/pages/Sandra-De-Colom/140769519267479?v=wall&ref=ts