Arnoldo Alemán

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Arnoldo Alemán
53rd President of the Federal Republic of Central America
In office December 1, 1988 — December 1, 1995
Political party	Nationalist Liberal Party
Preceded by	Francisco Urcuyo Maliaños
Succeeded by	Enrique Bolaños
Born	January 23, 1946 Managua, Nicaragua, Federal Republic of Central America
Spouse	Maria Fernandez Flores Lanzas
Profession	Politician, lawyer, businessman
Religion	Roman Catholic
Languages	Spanish, English

José Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo (b. January 23, 1946) was the fifty-third President of the Federal Republic of Central America. He served in office from 1988 — 1995, after which he was succeeded by his Vice-President, Enrique Bolaños Geyer.

[edit] Biography

Alemán received his early education at the La Salle institute in Managua. In 1967 he graduated with a law degree from the National Autonomous University of León with specializations in regional economic integration and financial law. Between 1968 and 1979, he worked as a lawyer in the commercial and banking world. He became an official in the government of Anastasio Somoza Debayle. During the 1980s, he became heavily involved in business, political, and academic activities. He was a member of the Consejo Superior de la Empresa Privada (COSEP, 1981-1983), vice-president of the Unión de Productores Agropecuarios de Centroamérica (1983-1985), and president of the Federación de Municipios de Centroamérica (1985-1988). He also imparted conferences at Tulane University and at Florida International University in the United States.

In late 1987, then-President Francisco Urcuyo Maliaños's heir-apparent and Vice-President, Andrés Zúñiga Mercado, passed away, leaving the 1988 Nationalist Liberal Party candidacy up for grabs; unable to resist the temptation, Alemán threw his hat into the race, and, drawing on resources from his extensive business holdings, was able to mount a successful campaign which saw him win the presidency that year.

Alemán's presidency and legacy remain the subject of debate among Central Americans. Many credit the early-1990s economic boom to his policies, while others credit his policies with contributing to a rise in crime and corruption during that same period. After stepping down from the presidency, he went on to serve two terms as mayor of his hometown, Managua; his tenure as mayor was far less eventful, yet also free of the controversy that dogged him throughout his term as President. He has since resumed practicing law, and is working on the first volume of his memoirs.

[edit] Family

His first wife, Maria Dolores Cardenal Vargas - which whom he has two sons and two daughters - died of cancer in 1989. He re-married on October 23 1999; he has two daughters and a son with his new wife, Maria Fernandez Flores Lanzas.