Pres. Portillo on a visit to OAS heaquarters, April 2003

Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera (born September 24, 1951) is a Guatemalan politician. He served as the President of the Republic of Guatemala from 2000 to 2004. Alfonso Portillo, President of Guatemala. ... Alfonso Portillo, President of Guatemala. ... The Organization of American States (OAS; OEA in the other three official languages) is an international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. Its members are the 35 independent nations of the Americas. ... 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → A timeline of events in the news for April 2003. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1951 was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... The President of Guatemala has been the usual title of the leader of Guatemala since 1851, when that title was assumed by José Rafael Carrera, who had been acting as head of government as general and Caudillo since 1840. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He took office on January 14, 2000, representing the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG). Both his campaign and his government were based on advocating a "take from the rich and give to the poor" philosophy and taxation system to try to achieve wealth distribution, thus gain a solid base of popularity and votes from the poor and indigenous within the highly unequal Guatemalan society, but his actual rule was generally considered unsuccessful if not disastrous. January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Guatemalan Republican Front (Spanish:Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG)) is a political party in Guatemala. ...

Early career

Portillo obtained his academic qualifications in Mexico. He received a degree in social sciences from the Autonomous University of Guerrero (UAG) in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, and his doctorate from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City. In the late 1970s he became involved with left-wing indigenous groups in Guerrero and with the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG). During the 1980s he lectured in political science at the university in Chilpancingo. During that time, Portillo killed two students, a crime for which he was acquitted on the grounds of legitimate self-defence. Chilpancingo (formally: Chilpancingo de los Bravos) is a city in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, located at 17° 33′ 0″ N 99° 30′ 0″ W. It is the capital of Guerrero. ... The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Spanish: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, commonly abbreviated as UNAM) was founded in 1551, making it the oldest in America. ... Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the federal capital of, and largest city in, Mexico. ... Other Mexican States Capital Chilpancingo Other major cities Acapulco, Taxco, list of municipalities Area 64,281 km² Ranked 14th Population (2000 census) 3,075,080 Ranked 11th Governor (1999-2005) René Juárez Cisneros (PRI) Federal Deputies (10) PRI = 6 PRD = 4 Federal Senators PRI = 2 PRD = 1 ISO 3166... Partido Guatemalteco del Trabajo Fuerzas Armadas Rebeldes Ejército Guerrillero de los Pobres Organización Pueblo en Armas The Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (in Spanish: Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca) (initials: URNG) was a guerilla movement which emerged in Guatemala in 1982. ...

In 1989 he returned to Guatemala and joined the Social Democratic Party (PSD), that had replaced the Authentic Revolutionary Party the previous year, and was a little known party, one of the very few leftist parties left in existence after the military repression during that decade. He then moved to the Guatemalan Christian Democrats (DCG), a centre-right formation which at the time was the governing party. In 1992 he was appointed Director of the Guatemalan Institute of Social and Political Sciences (IGESP), a role he held till 1994. He became the DCG's Secretary General in 1993 and was elected as one of their deputies in 1994, and became head of their group in the National Congress. During this time he also became an editorial advisor to the Siglo Veintiuno (21st Century) newspaper. 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

FRG

In April 1995 Portillo, along with 7 of the other 13 DCG deputies, left the party to become independents after the parliamentary group were accused of corruption. On the 20th July he joined the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG). It's leader Efraín Ríos Montt was at the time leader of the National Congress. When Montt was barred from running in the November 12th presidential election the FRG chose Portillo as their candidate. After gaining 22% of the vote he passed to the second round on January 7th 1996 where he lost to Álvaro Arzú. With both candidates promising to finalise the peace negotiations Portillo narrowly lost, gaining 48.7% of the vote. 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... -1... The Guatemalan Republican Front (Spanish:Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG)) is a political party in Guatemala. ... Efraín Ríos Montt on the campaign trail in 2003 José Efraín Ríos Montt (born June 16, 1926 in Huehuetenango, Guatemala) is the former President of Guatemala (1982-83) and former head of the National Congress. ... November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 49 days remaining. ... January 7 is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen, born March 14, 1946 in Guatemala City, was President of Guatemala from January 14, 1996 until January 14, 2000. ...

Presidential aspirations

In July 1998 the FRG voted for him to be their presidential candidate the following year, having decided not to postulate Ríos Montt in the role. Confirming this postulation in June 1999 Portillo launched a campaign in favour to bring morality into political life, to implacably fight corruption, to defend the indigenous population and the poor campesinos against the small, urban, white elite. He also promised security in the face of the growing problem with delincuency during Arzu's tenure in the office. Unlike in 1995 the issue of the homicides in Mexico were brought up, and became a central electoral issue. Portillo immediately recognised that he had shot the 3 students, but claimed it was self defence. He said that he had fleed from the Mexican authorities, rather than face trial, both because of his political affiliations, and because he was a foreigner in Mexico. These revelations enhanced Portillo's as a "tough, no-nonsense" politician. He was also accused during the campaign of being Ríos Montt's marionette. On 7th November he won the first round with 47.8% of the vote, and in the second round on December 26th he beat Oscar Berger by gaining a resounding 68.3% of the vote. 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The word indigenous is derived from the latin word indigena, meaning nativ, indigenous, aboriginal, and has several, related meanings: The native people of a place; see the article indigenous people. ... Campesino means simple farmer in Spanish. ... Common stereotype of a criminal A crime in a broad sense is an act that violates a political or moral law. ... November 7 is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 54 days remaining. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ...

President

On the day of his investiture Portillo said that Guatemala was "on the edge of collapse", and promised a thorough government investigation into corruption. On the 9th August 2000 he declared that the Government's of the previous 2 decades had been involved in human rights's abuses, including for 2 massacres that took place while Ríos Montt was President. While he showed determination to see through his regenerative and progressive programme, his government soon became overwhelmed by the reality of the political and mafia corruption in the country. During 2001 his government faced a continuous wave of protests that sapped the credibility of his government. The FRG were accused of bringing corruption on an unprecedented scale to the country. His government has been tainted by accusations of theft, money laundering, money tranferring to the army, creation of bank accounts in Panama, Mexico, and the USA by many members of his staff, totalling more than 1 billion US dollars. August 9 is the 221st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (222nd in leap years), with 144 days remaining. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

In the first round of the November 2003 elections (see: Guatemala election, 2003), he backed former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt to succeed him. However, the FRG lost to Óscar Berger's PAN party, and he was sworn in to replace Portillo on January 14, 2004. 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December A timeline of events in the news for November, 2003. ... A General Election was held in Guatemala on 9 November 2003. ... Efraín Ríos Montt on the campaign trail in 2003 José Efraín Ríos Montt (born June 16, 1926 in Huehuetenango, Guatemala) is the former President of Guatemala (1982-83) and former head of the National Congress. ... Pres. ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Recent events

When his political immunity was revoked on February 19, 2004 Portillo immediately fled to Mexico. On August 16, 2004, immigration authorities there granted him a year-long work visa. He lives in Mexico City in an apartment in one of the city's most exclusive neighbourhoods. February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 16 is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Investigations are currently underway as to whether he received $1.5 million in bribes from the Taiwanese government. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... National motto: None Official language Mandarin Chinese Capital and largest city Taipei President Chen Shui-bian Premier Frank Hsieh Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 138th 35,980 km² 2. ...

External links

Biography in Spanish (http://www.cidob.org/bios/castellano/lideres/p-004.htm).