Armando Calderón Sol (24 June 1948 – 9 October 2017) was

President of El Salvador President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

from 1 June 1994, to 1 June 1999, representing the

Nationalist Republican Alliance The Nationalist Republican Alliance (, abbreviated ARENA) is a conservative, center-right to right-wing political party of El Salvador. It was founded on 30 September 1981 by retired Salvadoran Army Major Roberto D'Aubuisson. It defines itse ...

. He was the first president elected in El Salvador after twelve years of

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Early life and education

Born in

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

in 1948, Calderón attended the exclusive primary and secondary school Colegio Externado San José, graduating in 1966. In 1977, Calderón received a graduate degree in

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

and Social Sciences from Universidad Nacional de El Salvador. He was a lawyer, a businessman, and one of the founders of

(ARENA), in September 1981.

Political career

Mayor of San Salvador

As Mayor of San Salvador from 1988 to 1994 he built the Monument to "Hermano Lejano" at the end of the Comalapa Highway and Blvd. Los Proceres and also built the bust monuments along the Proceres Boulevard. He promoted

physical exercise Exercise or workout is physical activity that enhances or maintains fitness and overall health. It is performed for various reasons, including weight loss or maintenance, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardio ...

and initiated a cyclist's circuit in the San Jacinto neighbourhood on Avenida Cuba.

President of El Salvador

Former Presidents and First Ladies of El Salvador

When he ran for president in 1994 he won the presidential office during the runoff elections against the leftist candidate, Dr. Ruben Zamora from the CD- FMLN coalition. Calderón is acknowledged in the press for restoring the status-quo after the

, which ended on 16 January 1992. He advocated the

privatization Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...

state owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to a ...

telephone companies and

pension funds A pension fund, also known as a superannuation fund in some countries, is any program, fund, or scheme which provides retirement income. The U.S. Government's Social Security Trust Fund, which oversees $2.57 trillion in assets, is the world' ...

to stimulate the economy and modernize the country's

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

. He is also known for having promoted reforms to make El Salvador competitive in the maquila industry, removing

trade barrier Trade barriers are government-induced restrictions on international trade. According to the comparative advantage, theory of comparative advantage, trade barriers are detrimental to the world economy and decrease overall economic efficiency. Most ...

s across the board, including removing protection for local

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. This had the unintended consequence of disrupting small scale farming, driving migration to larger cities (and abroad, especially the U.S.) and creating a cheaper labour supply for the maquilas. Calderón is also credited with the integration of former

guerrillas Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...

combatants back into civilian life. He is also known for having initiated the privatization of the telecommunications company

ANTEL The Administración Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (ANTEL, literally "National Administration of Telecommunications") is Uruguay's government-owned telecommunications company, founded in 1974 as a separate legal entity after spinning off the tel ...

and the electrical works company, CAESS (Compañía de Alumbrado Electrico de San Salvador), public hospitals and

. He followed president

Alfredo Cristiani Alfredo Félix Cristiani Burkard (born 22 November 1947) is a Salvadoran politician who was President of El Salvador from 1989 to 1994. Life and career Born into a wealthy family in San Salvador, his father Felix Cristiani was an Italian im ...

neoliberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...

approach, and his structural adjustment programs.

Death

Calderón Sol died on 9 October 2017 of lung cancer at a Houston, Texas, hospital at the age of 68.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20030207070924/http://archive.laprensa.com.sv/19990703/
Extended biography of Armando Calderón Sol at Fundación CIDOB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calderon Sol, Armando 1948 births 2017 deaths People from San Salvador Presidents of El Salvador Nationalist Republican Alliance politicians Mayors of places in El Salvador Mayors of San Salvador Deaths from lung cancer in Texas 20th-century presidents of El Salvador Sol family Grand Crosses with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic