| Oscar Arias Sanchez is the current
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| | Esquipulas Accord
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| president of the country of Costa Rica.
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| | By the time Arias became the president of
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| He first assumed office on May 8, 2006
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| | Costa Rica, the Central American
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| and is currently serving his second term.
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| | countries were engaged in violent and
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| He had first been elected president on
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| | long-running civil wars. In May 1986,
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| May 8, 1986 and served until May 8, 1990.
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| | President Arias was one of the five
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| President Arias is best known as one of
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| | Central American presidents that attended
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| the driving figures behind the end of the
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| | the first Esquipulas Summit in
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| Central American civil wars during the
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| | Esquipulas, Guatemala.
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| 1980s. For his efforts, Oscar Arias
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| | The summit resulted into a Peace Plan
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| Sanchez received the Nobel Peace Price in
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| | which was submitted on February 15, 1987.
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| 1987.
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| | From this peace plan, the Esquipulas
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| Aside from that, President Arias was also
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| | Peace Process was drafted. The Process
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| awarded the Albert Schweitzer Prize for
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| | was a framework for resolving conflict
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| Humanitarianism. The Economists for Peace
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| | and for economic cooperation between the
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| and Security also accepted him as a
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| | beleaguered Central American states.
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| trustee. President Arias is a member of
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| | Another summit was then held by the five
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| the Board of Directors of International
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| | Central American presidents including
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| Criminal Court's Trust Fund for Victims.
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| | Arias, which resulted to the "Esquipulas
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| Personal History
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| | II" accord that was signed on August 7,
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| President Arias was born on September 13,
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| | 1987 in Guatemala City.
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| 1940 in Heredia, Costa Rica. He was born
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| | Despite rejection by the United States
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| to an upper class family, a status which
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| | due to its recognition of the Nicaraguan
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| made it possible for him to undergo
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| | Sandinista regime, the accoes was
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| secondary schooling at the Colegio Saint
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| | successful as it paved the way for the
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| Francis in San Jose, Costa Rica.
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| | 1990 reconciliation and ending of the
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| After finishing his secondary schooling,
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| | 30-year Guatemalan Civil War, and the
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| Oscar Arias Sanchez flew to the United
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| | peace agreement in El Salvador.
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| States in order to study medicine in
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| | Arias' efforts led to the awarding of the
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| Boston University. However, he changed
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| | Nobel Peace Prize, although there are
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| his mind after a while and returned to
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| | criticisms that he has plagiarized
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| Costa Rica. He finished law and economics
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| | propositions made by Vinicio Cerezo of
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| instead at the University of Costa Rica.
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| | Guatemala as his own.
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| To continue educating himself, Arias flew
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| | Second Presidency
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| to the United Kingdom in 1967, where he
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| | The Costa Rican judiciary formerly
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| went to school in the London School of
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| | forbade former presidents from running
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| Economics. Eight years later in 1974, he
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| | for a second term. However, in 2004, the
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| received a political science doctorate
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| | Constitutional Court made a very
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| degree from the University of Essex.
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| | controversial decision removing that
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| The Costa Rican president is also the
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| | restriction. Following that, Arias
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| holder of over 50 honorary degrees from
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| | announced his intention to run for a
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| different universities.
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| | second presidency opposite Otton Solis,
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| The National Liberation Party and his
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| | Otto Guevara, Ricardo Toledo and Antonio
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| First Presidency
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| | Alvarez.
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| Arias joined the Partido Liberacion
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| | Solis and Arias were the foremost among
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| Nacional and ran under its banner for
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| | the five presidential candidates.
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| president in 1986. The PLN is known for
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| | Competition was stiff, with only a 0.4%
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| being the party under which several
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| | or 3,200-vote difference after the first
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| popular Costa Rican presidents belong to,
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| | count. Voters who abstained from voting
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| like its founder Jose Figueres. Under the
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| | for the other candidates even voted for
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| same banner, Arias achieved victory.
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| | Solis at the last minute, resulting in
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| He then went on to shift Costa Rican
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| | the thin margin of votes. It was seen as
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| economy to focus on non-traditional
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| | an effort to prevent Arias from winning.
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| agriculture and tourism, which some of
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| | One of the first decisions he made on his
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| his own party mates critized as shifting
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| | second Presidency was to end Costa Rica's
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| to a neoliberal economic model. The PLN,
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| | recognition of Taiwan as the Republic of
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| after all, focuses on social democrat
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| | China, and instead recognized the
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| teachings, which they claimed Arias
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| | mainland People's Republic of China.
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| abandoned during his administration.
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| | Tendinitis
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| President Arias also reinstated the
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| | Just recently, on May 20, 2008, President
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| standard academic tests that students
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| | Arias was diagnosed as having a
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| have to take upon finishing primary and
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| | nonmalignant cyst on his vocal cords by
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| secondary schooling. He also pushed for
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| | the Philadelphia Ears, Nose and Throat
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| the creation of the Central American
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| | Associates. Doctors then advised him not
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| Parliament, although currently he
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| | to talk for a month, after which surgery
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| announced Costa Rica's non-participation
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| | may be performed if his condition did not
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| in the Parliament.
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| | improve.
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