José Domingo Arias
José Domingo Arias Villalaz | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | Panama City, Panama | 26 October 1963
Political party | Democratic Change |
Spouse | Aimée Álvarez |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | University of Buenos Aires |
José Domingo Arias Villalaz is a Panamanian economist and politician, and was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 presidential elections.
Background and early life
José Domingo Arias was born on 26 October 1963 in Panama City.[1] He is the son of Marta Graciela Villalaz Arias and Julio Rubén Arias Valdés. He has two siblings: Julio Rubén is the elder and Marta María is the younger.
His paternal grandfather, Aurelio Arias, was a deputy in the National Constituent Assembly in 1946. His uncles[citation needed],
Arias passed his childhood in the capital. He had five years of primary education at the Javier School, a Jesuit institution, then passed on to the Pedagogic High School to complete his secondary education. The summer holidays were always spent in the city of Las Tablas and in the countryside at Villa de Los Santos, which belonged to his mother's family.
Like his mother, Arias went on to study at the University of Buenos Aires, where he was in contact with leading Argentine intellectuals and economists who had returned to the university at the end of the military dictatorship.
His working life began in the clothing industry as a salesman soon rising to an executive position in the company. He was instrumental in developing the firm's trade with more than 12 neighboring countries.
He is married to Aimée Álvarez and they currently (2013) have three children: David José, aged 19; Juan Enrique, 14; and Isabella, 10.[1]
Political career
In 2006 he joined the
In 2011 President Martinelli appointed Arias as Minister of Housing and Land Management. Here his first task was to carry through the Proyecto Curundú urban renovation project.[1] He went on to build up the Piso y Techo (Eng: Floor and Roof) programme, aimed at improving the living conditions of poor families living in dwellings with earth floors, mainly in rural areas. He built the first barrio digital (digital neighbourhood), with wireless internet access in every dwelling. He also instituted a process of certifying the main directorates within his Ministry to ISO 9001 standards.[1]
He stepped down from his ministerial position on 15 February 2014, to concentrate on his presidential campaign.[1]
Presidential candidate 2014
In May 2013 Arias competed in the
Following the elections on 4 May 2014 the Electoral Commission declared vice-president Juan Carlos Varela the winner of the presidential contest, with about 39% of the vote against 32% for Arias.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e "José Domingo Arias" Archived 2018-10-11 at the Wayback Machine, Panamá Decide 2014
- ^ "Arias wins CD primary, says focus will be on unity", La Prensa (Panama City), 12 May 2013
- ^ Don Winner (13 May 2013). "Jose Domingo Arias Wins CD Primary - And He Will Probably Be The Next President of Panama". Panama Guide. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
- ^ Eric Jackson, "Arias wins CD nomination" Archived 2014-03-28 at the Wayback Machine, The Panama News, 13 May 2013
- ^ "CD's Jose Domingo Arias Still Leading in the Polls". Panama Guide. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "Candidato José Domingo Arias lidera la carrera presidencial en Panamá". La Nación (Costa Rica). 11 March 2014. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ Daniel Zovatto, "Latin America in 2014: Elections and Football", Brookings Institution, 23 January 2014
- New York Times, 4 May 2014