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| Abel Pacheco de La Espriella | |
|---|---|
 Pacheco in 2005 | |
| 44th President of Costa Rica | |
| In office 8 May 2002 – 8 May 2006 | |
| Vice President | Lineth Saborío Chaverri Luis Fishman Zonzinski |
| Preceded by | Miguel Ángel Rodríguez |
| Succeeded by | Óscar Arias |
| Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica | |
| In office 1 May 1998 – 30 April 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Alberto Cañas Escalante |
| Succeeded by | Édgar Mohs Villalta |
| Constituency | San José (1st Office) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1933-12-22) 22 December 1933 (age 90) San José, Costa Rica |
| Political party | PUSC |
| Spouse(s) | Elsa María Muñoz Batha (?–?) Leila Rodríguez Stahl (m. 1975) |
| Profession | Psychiatrist |
Abel Pacheco de la Espriella (/əˈbɛl pəˈtʃeɪkoʊ/ ə-BEL pə-CHAY-koh; born 22 December 1933) is a Costa Rican politician who was president of Costa Rica between 2002 and 2006, representing the Social Christian Unity Party (Partido Unidad Social Cristiana – PUSC). He ran on a platform to continue free market reforms and to institute an austerity program, and was elected, in a second electoral round, with 58% of the vote in April 2002.
Biography
Early life
Abel Pacheco and his first wife, Elsa María Muñoz Batha, had five children: Abel, Elsa, Yolanda, Sergio and Valeria. Pacheco married his second wife, Leila Rodríguez Stahl, a former Miss Costa Rica winner, on 20 November 1975. He and Rodríguez had one son, Fabian.
Career
Pacheco is a medical doctor who graduated from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México with a degree in Psychiatry from Louisiana State University.
During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s Pacheco was a popular presenter of short programmes on Costa Rican television. During this time he continued to teach at the University of Costa Rica and personally attended to customers at the gentleman's outfitters, El Palacio del Pantalón, that he had established in downtown San José in the mid-1980s. He also wrote a series of novels and a number of popular songs.
On 1 February 1998 he was elected to serve as a party-list deputy in Costa Rica's unicameral Legislative Assembly, representing the province of San José for the PUSC.
In the run-up to the 2002 presidential election, the PUSC party convention selected him to be its candidate by an overwhelming 76% of the delegates' votes on 10 June 2001. His candidacy was seen as a victory for the rank-and-file members over the party's entrenched hierarchy.
In the first round of the election Pacheco received 38.6% of the vote: just short of the 40% needed to avoid a run-off. On 7 April 2002, in the second round – the first time the mechanism had been used since the rules were introduced – Pacheco got 58% of the vote, beating Rolando Araya of the social democratic PLN by a narrow margin.
Books
Pacheco is the author of a number of books, including both, fiction and non-fiction. Among other titles of the books that he penned are: Paso de tropa (1969), and Más abajo de la piel (1972). His work has been translated to more than 20 different languages, given its importance to Costa Rican cultural heritage.
Abel Pacheco was awarded with the prize " Citizen of the World" for his valuable contribution to culture and literature around the world.
Honours
Foreign honours
Italy
Two Sicilian Royal Family: Knight Grand Cross of Merit of the Two Sicilian Royal Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
Monaco: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles (21 November 2003) - Pacheco has received several international awards for his literature work.
- Citizen of the World international award, given to exemplary citizens that have had a major contribution to the culture and arts in the world.
- National Literature Prize for his book: " Mas abajo de la piel ".
- Filantropic awards given his active contribution to Social Corporate Responsibility.
References
- El Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones: Presidentes de la República de Costa Rica
- Pacheco assumes presidency. The Salt Lake Tribune. May 9, 2002, PageA2.
- ^ "Biografía: Leila Rodríguez Stahl de Pacheco Primera Dama de la República de Costa Rica". Ministerio de Hacienda. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
- "Duke of Calabria hosts banquet for President of Costa Rica". Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George. 9 April 2004.
- "Duke of Calabria, Cardinal Pompedda awarded the National Order of Juan Mora Fernandez by Costa Rican President". Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George. 10 April 2004.
- Nomination by Sovereign Ordonnance OpenDocument number 16064 of 21 November 2003 (French)
External links
- Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)
| Assembly seats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byAlberto Cañas Escalante | Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica for San José's 1st office 1998–2002 |
Succeeded byÉdgar Mohs Villalta |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded byMiguel Ángel Rodríguez | PUSC nominee for President of Costa Rica 2002 |
Succeeded byRicardo Toledo |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded byMiguel Ángel Rodríguez | President of Costa Rica 2002–2006 |
Succeeded byÓscar Arias |
- 1933 births
- Living people
- Politicians from San José, Costa Rica
- Social Christian Unity Party politicians
- Costa Rican psychiatrists
- Presidents of Costa Rica
- Members of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica
- National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni
- Louisiana State University alumni
- Academic staff of the University of Costa Rica
- Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles