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Martín Torrijos credentials make him the most qualified politician to govern the Republic of Panama for the next five years. In 1999, he assumed the leadership of the Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD), the most powerful political force with over four hundred and eighty thousand members. Since then, the PRD experimented a profound transformation to become the most democratic political organization of our national history. His commitment to legitimize the political activity as the decisive way to produce the social and economic transformations that the country demands shows up his national leadership.

President Martín Torrijos Espino was born in the city of Panama on July 18th, 1963; he is the son of General Omar Torrijos Herrera and Mrs. Xenia Espino. He obtained two titles from Texas A&M University in Political Science and Economics. He stands out as a businessman and economic advisor to international firms on topics such as communications, construction, agricultural exports and maritime industry. He is married to Vivian Fernández and has three children: Daniela María, Martín Omar, and Nicolás Antonio.

Martin Torrijos has the charisma of his father, General Omar Torrijos Herrera, a leader who accumulated national and international prestige for his commitment to social issues and because he headed the most noble causes of the Panamanian people. The pinnacle of the General’s work is having achieved Panamanian sovereignty over its entire territory and unified the country under the same flag with the fulfillment of the Torrijos-Carter treaty, an heroic deed that concluded with the reversion of the Canal Zone to Panama.

With this legacy, and as a representative of a new generation of Panamanians, Martin Torrijos has set himself out new national goals and objectives. During his preparation period, he accumulated experience as public servant when he held the position of Vice-Minister of Government and Justice under the presidency of Ernesto Perez Balladares. From this position, he carried out a distinguished work in aspects related to national security, civil aerial navigation, public transportation, telecommunications and modernization of the national penitentiary system. The later made him worthy of appreciation by the United Nations organization (UN) and the Government of Spain.

Martin Torrijos was postulated in May 1999 as candidate for the PRD to the presidency of Panama and later, in August of that same year, he was elected as General Secretary of the same political party.

He was reelected for that same position in 2002. Also, he got elected as Vice-president of the Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPAL).

Torrijos political proposal to build a New Motherland under acquired commitments with every sector of the Panamanian society made him win the presidential elections of May 2nd, 2004, with approximately 48% acceptance from the voting public composed by popular, professional and business sectors.

On September 1st, 2004, he was sworn in as President of the Republic of Panama for a period of five years.

The new president of the National Assembly, Mr. Jerry Wilson, put on him the presidential sash. Mr. Samuel Lewis Navarro and Mr. Ruben Arosemena were sworn in as first and second Vice-presidents respectively as well.

Many important leaders attended the take up ceremony, celebrated at the Anayansi Theater of the ATLAPA Convention Center. Among these leaders were the prime minister of Belice, Mr. Said Musa, the President of the Democratic Árab Republic Saharaui, Mohamed Abdelaziz; from Colombia, Mr. Alvaro Uribe; Chile, Ricardo Lagos; Ecuador, Lucio Gutiérrez; El Salvador, Elías Antonio Saca; the interim president of Haití, Boniface Alexandre; the president of Honduras, Ricardo Maduro; fromTaiwán, Chen Shui-bian; the princesses of Asturias, Felipe de Borbón and Letizia Ortiz, and the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell.

From this day on, the President of Panama, Martin Torrijos Espino, works in the construction of a New Motherland together with his governmental staff and the help of various different economic and social sectors of the country.

Martín Torrijos Espino es el Presidente de la República de Panamá. Hace 44 años, nació en la ciudad capital el 18 de julio de 1963 y está casado con Vivian Fernández de Torrijos, con quien forma un hogar integrado además, por sus hijos: Daniela María, Martín Omar y Nicolás Antonio.

Es hijo del desaparecido General Omar Torrijos Herrera y de la educadora Xenia Espino. Tras culminar sus estudios primarios en la ciudad de Panamá, obtiene títulos en Economía y en Ciencias Políticas en la prestigiosa Universidad Texas A&M.

Antes de iniciar su carrera política fue asesor económico de firmas internacionales en temas de comunicación, construcción, agroexportación y en la industria marítima.




A principios de la década del 90 asume el liderazgo de la juventud dentro del Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD) y entre 1994 y mediados de 1999, se desempeñó como viceministro de Gobierno y Justicia, posición desde donde realizó una labor destacada en aspectos relacionados con la seguridad nacional, aeronavegación civil, transporte público, telecomunicaciones y la modernización del sistema penitenciario nacional. Esta última, lo hizo merecedor del reconocimiento de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU) y del Gobierno de España.

En 1999 gana ampliamente la nominación como candidato a la Presidencia de la República por el PRD y aunque no alcanza el objetivo final, fortalece su liderazgo dentro del colectivo, convirtiéndose en el Secretario General del colectivo.

Para el próximo período electoral y convertido en un joven pero experimentado líder político, alcanza primero la nominación presidencial del PRD por segunda vez y en las elecciones generales de 2004, obtiene un arrollador triunfo electoral con el respaldo del 47 % de los votantes, apoyo electoral que por primera vez recibía un candidato presidencial en el período posterior a la invasión de 1989.

Fue juramentado como Presidente de la República, el 1 de septiembre de 2004 por el entonces presidente de la Asamblea Nacional de Diputados, (Congreso Nacional), H.D. Jerry Wilson Navarro.

Su gestión se ha caracterizado por desarrollar una agenda internacional combinada con un plan de desarrollo local y de atención a las personas más necesitadas. Es este interés el que lo mantiene como uno de los mandatarios con mayor grado de popularidad y como uno de los verdaderos líderes del continente. El plan de Gobierno que ejecuta es ambicioso y tiene como metas prioritarias hacerle frente al desempleo y a la pobreza extrema. Sin embargo, muchos piensan que la ampliación del Canal, los programas para enfrentar la pobreza y la lucha contra la corrupción y el crimen organizado serán los más importantes legados de su administración.


Submitted: 10/20/2008 (Edited 10/21/2008)
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