Ricardo Arias Calderón
Ricardo Arias Calderón | |
---|---|
First Vice President of Panama | |
In office 20 December 1989 – 17 December 1992 | |
President | Guillermo Endara |
Preceded by | Carlos Ozores Typaldos |
Succeeded by | Guillermo Ford |
Personal details | |
Born | Yale, Sorbonne | 4 May 1933
Ricardo Arias Calderón (May 4, 1933 – February 13, 2017)
Following an
Background
Arias' maternal family was from Nicaragua, having left during political upheaval there before his birth. One of Arias' great uncles ran for president in Panama, while another was a supporter of the Nicaraguan revolutionary
Arias studied at
Early political career
Arias returned to Panama in the early 1960s to work for political reform, soon joining the small
During the rule of military leader
In February 1988, plainclothes police officers forced Arias Calderón and his wife onto a plane to
Vice presidency
Following Noriega's fall in the December 1989 United States invasion of Panama, Arias was certified as vice president of Panama under President Endara[9] and inaugurated on a US military base.[10]
Arias was put in charge of reforming the Panamanian police forces, putting them under civilian control. He controversially employed former members of Noriega's
In early 1991, the ADOC coalition began to unravel as Endara, Arias, and Ford publicly criticized one another. On April 8, accusing Arias' Christian Democrats of not rallying to his support during an impeachment vote, Endara dismissed Arias from the cabinet.[10]
Arias resigned from the vice presidency on December 17, 1992, stating at a news conference that Endara's government "does not listen to the people, nor does it have the courage to make changes". Endara responded that Arias' resignation was "demagoguery" and "merely starting his 1994 political campaign ahead of time".[12]
Later activity
Arias was an opponent of the post-invasion US presence in Panama before the December 31, 1999 handover of the Panama Canal to the Panama Canal Authority.[13] Arias was criticized in 1998 by Endara's successor, Ernesto Pérez Balladares, as "immoral" for having claimed almost $100,000 in salary from his time as vice president despite having resigned. Arias subsequently challenged Pérez Balladares to a debate over the morality of the latter's plans to amend the constitution and seek a second term.[14]
In 2001, Arias released a book, Democracy without an Army: The Panamanian Experience, arguing that the nation must keep its security forces depoliticized.
Arias opposed the 2011 extradition of Noriega from France to Panama, warning that the former dictator could institute a "demagogic populism" similar to that of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez.[18]
Personal life
Arias had a Cuban-born wife, Teresita, whom he married in 1964 and with whom he had four children. In the 1960s, she broke new ground for political spouses by attending political rallies and campaigning actively for her husband.[
In his final years, Arias suffered from Parkinson's disease, which kept him out of the public eye. He died in Panama City on February 14, 2017, aged 83.[19]
References
- ^ "Las raíces de un filósofo, académico y activo político". PanamaAmerica. June 22, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Myra MacPherson (January 30, 1990). "Panama's Philosopher Pol;Ricardo Arias Calderon's Leap From Exiled Academic to Vice President". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ "Panama Said to Arrest 9 Opposition Members". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 2, 1989. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ "Panama vote untallied; Ecuador unity pledged". The Courier. United Press International. May 7, 1984. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Opposition cries fraud during Panama's presidential election". Observer-Reporter. Associated Press. May 8, 1989. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Rival leader returns, urges Noriega to quit". Chicago Sun-Times. March 25, 1988. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ "Noriega's Surrender; Panama in Disorder: The 1980's". The New York Times. January 5, 1990. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ "The World". Los Angeles Times. October 3, 1989. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ "Background Note: Panama". Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, US State Department. March 26, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Kenneth Freed (May 6, 1991). "Panama's 3-Party Rule Turns Into 3-Ring Circus". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ "Wedding imminent, dowry missing". The Economist. May 26, 1990. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2012. (subscription required)
- ^ "Ricardo Arias Calderon". Caribbean Update. February 1, 1993. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2012.(subscription required)
- ^ Juanita Darling (January 1, 2000). "'The Canal Is Ours' Is Jubilant Cry in Panama". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2012.
- ^ Omar Wong Wood (June 16, 1998). "Ricardo Arias Calderon Balladares challenges". Critica. Archived from the original on April 25, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ Serrano Sucre Hermes (June 8, 2001). "Arias Calderón llama a una verdadera unidad nacional". La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 5, 2002. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ David Gonzalez (October 28, 2001). "Panama Is Putting Journalists on Trial". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
- ^ Chris Kraul (September 23, 2006). "Panamanians Likely to OK Canal's Expansion Project". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ^ "Arias Calderón warns against Noriega represents for democracy". ABC. EFE. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Panama's former vice-president Arias Calderon dies at age 83". Associated Press. February 14, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2024.