Arístides Royo Sánchez (born 14 August 1940) is a

Panamanian Panamanians (Spanish: ''Panameños'') are people identified with Panama, a transcontinental country in Central America (a region within North America) and South America, whose connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For mo ...

politician who was

President of Panama This article lists the heads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from the Republic of New Granada in 1840 and the final separation from Colombia in 1903. Free State of the Isthmus (1840–1841) Republic of Panama (19 ...

from 11 October 1978 to 31 July 1982, when he was pressured to resign by the military. He is currently the Minister of Canal Affairs.

Biography

He studied law at the

University of Salamanca The University of Salamanca ( es, Universidad de Salamanca) is a Spanish higher education institution, located in the city of Salamanca, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was founded in 1218 by King Alfonso IX. It is th ...

in Spain, returning to Panama in 1965. In 1960, Royo met his future wife, a Spanish citizen named Adela María Ruiz González, while both were students in Salamanca. They married in the early 1960s and had three children - Marta Elena, Irma Natalia, and Aristides José. During the military dictatorship, he served as Education Minister from 1973 to 1974 and helped negotiate the

Torrijos–Carter Treaties The Torrijos–Carter Treaties ( es, link=no, Tratados Torrijos-Carter) are two treaties signed by the United States and Panama in Washington, D.C. on September 7, 1977, which superseded the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty of 1903. The treaties guara ...

in 1977. Following his presidency, he was appointed Ambassador to Spain (1994–1996) and France (1998–1999). Presidents and heads of state of Panama from 1968 to 1989 were mainly appointed by either General

Omar Torrijos Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera (February 13, 1929 – July 31, 1981) was the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and military leader of Panama from 1968 to his death in 1981. Torrijos was never officially the president of Panama, ...

or General

Manuel Noriega Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno (; February 11, 1934 – May 29, 2017) was a Panamanian dictator, politician and military officer who was the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Panama, ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. An authoritaria ...

, who were the two powerful strongmen during that period. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

negotiated the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

treaties with General Torrijos in 1978, which were opposed by the then-presidential candidate

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. Eleven years later, President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

launched the

Invasion of Panama The United States invasion of Panama, codenamed Operation Just Cause, lasted over a month between mid-December 1989 and late January 1990. It occurred during the administration of President George H. W. Bush and ten years after the Torrijos– ...

to remove General Manuel Noriega from power. However, Royo did get some political power in the timeframe between Torrijos's death in July 1981 and the military takeover by

Rubén Darío Paredes Rubén Darío Paredes del Río (born 11 August 1933) is a Panamanian army officer who was the military ruler of Panama from 1982 to 1983. Colonel Paredes came to power after the displacement of Colonel Florencio Flores, due to the instability o ...

in March 1982. He is currently the minister of affairs related to the Panama Canal; the current administrator of the Panama Canal is Ricaurte Vasquez Morales. Royo's wife, former First Lady Adela Ruiz de Royo, died on 19 June 2019. In December 2019, Royo's daughter, Natalia Royo de Hagerman, was appointed as Panama's ambassador to the United Kingdom.

References

1940 births Living people People from La Chorrera District Presidents of Panama Ambassadors of Panama to Spain Ambassadors of Panama to France University of Salamanca alumni Education ministers of Panama {{Panama-politician-stub