Martín Torrijos
| Martín Torrijos | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of Panama | |
|
In office September 1, 2004 – July 1, 2009 |
|
| Vice President |
Samuel Lewis Navarro Rubén Arosemena |
| Preceded by | Mireya Moscoso |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo Martinelli |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino July 18, 1963 Chitré, Panama |
| Political party | Democratic Revolutionary Party |
| Spouse(s) | Vivian Fernández |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M University |
| Occupation | economist, politician |
Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino (Spanish pronunciation: [marˈtin toˈrixos]; born July 18, 1963) is a Panamanian politician who was President of Panama from 2004 to 2009.
He was fathered out of wedlock by Panamanian military ruler Omar Torrijos. Martín Torrijos was educated in economics and political science in the United States. He then returned to Panama, becoming active in the Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD). He was the party's presidential candidate in the 1999 general election, losing to Arnulfista Party candidate Mireya Moscoso.
In the 2004 presidential election, he ran again as the PRD candidate. This time, his primary rival was Solidarity Party candidate Guillermo Endara, whom Torrijos defeated 47% to 31%. Torrijos reformed social security and pensions during his term in office, as well as proposing and passing a $5 billion expansion of the Panama Canal. Torrijos was succeeded by supermarket magnate Ricardo Martinelli in 2009.
Martín Torrijos is the son of military ruler Omar Torrijos, who was Panama's social reformer and military strongman from 1968 until his death in a 1981 plane crash. The younger Torrijos is an illegitimate child primarily raised by his mother, but his father publicly acknowledged him when he became a teenager. Born in Chitré, Herrera, he graduated from St. John's Northwestern Military Academy located in Delafield, Wisconsin, in the United States and studied political science and economics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. During his time in the US, he also worked in Chicago, managing a McDonald's restaurant.
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