Óscar Arias

Óscar Rafael de Jesús Arias Sánchez ( * September 13, 1940 in Heredia, Costa Rica) from 1986 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2010 President of Costa Rica. In 1987 he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his approach to achieving a lasting peace in Central America.

Life and work

Early years

Óscar Arias Sánchez was born in 1940 the son of a plantation owner in Heredia to San José. He attended the local primary school and then went to the Franciscan College in Moravia. He then studied economics and law in San Jose, Essex and London. His doctorate was from the University of Essex in 1974. Upon his return to Costa Rica, he taught at the University of Costa Rica Political Science. During this time he was also fiscal policy advisor to the President José Figueres Ferrer.

Political career

During his studies, Óscar Arias Sánchez joined the Party of National Liberation ( PLN) at. Between 1972 and 1977, he was under the President José Figueres Ferrer and Daniel Oduber Quirós minister for economic policy. From 1981 to 1983 he was General Secretary of the party. In 1978 he moved, despite the election victory of the Social Christian Unity Party ( PUSC ) of the new Rodrigo Carazo Odio President, as a Member of Parliament for his constituency in parliament and was a member of the same until 1982. From his party and was appointed in 1975 to the Secretary for Internal Affairs.

In 1982, Luis Alberto Monge Alvarez President of Costa Rica, especially by the election campaign, the Óscar Arias Sánchez performed. This was in 1984 to his post as Secretary General and chose to act itself as a presidential candidate in the next elections. In 1986, he won the presidential elections with a clear majority, because he represented the hope for an economic revival of the country. He was the youngest president of the country and wanted to distinguish themselves especially in the processes of democratization, anti-corruption, the economic boom and peacekeeping.

In the Central American Summit on 7 August 1987 in Esquipulas, he presented the so-called Arias Sánchez- plan, which had a long-term safeguarding of peace to Central America to the target. The plan met with approval and signed next to him by the Heads of State of Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. These pledged to keep within their countries national calls for peacekeeping, adjust the support of guerrilla forces in the neighboring countries, to manifest democratic rights and to allow free elections in order to pacify the region and economically advance. In the same year Arias Sánchez was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for these plans.

In 1990 he resigned from his office, but also used below its political awareness, to further advance the peace process. The presidential election on 5 February 2006, he won again. His new term of office lasted 8 May 2006 to 8 May 2010. Was succeeded by his party colleague, Laura Chinchilla.

In 2009 he made ​​an extensive one for mediation after the military coup in Honduras.