Juan Sebastián Chamorro García (born 1971)[1] is a Nicaraguan economist, businessman and politician. He was a pre-candidate for president in the 2021 Nicaraguan general election until he was detained in a wave of arrests of opposition candidates and other civic leaders.
Juan Sebastián Chamorro | |
|---|---|
 Chamorro in 2021 | |
| Born | 1971 (age 52–53) |
| Nationality | Nicaraguan |
| Occupations |
|
| Father | Xavier Chamorro Cardenal |
| Family | Chamorro |
Early life and education
editChamorro was born in 1971 to Sonia García and journalist Xavier Chamorro Cardenal who founded the newspaper El Nuevo Diario in 1980,[2] part of the fallout from the assassination of his brother Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal in 1978, an event broadly seen as a turning point in boosting support for the Sandinista Revolution and its success in overthrowing the Somoza dictatorship the next year.[3]
Chamorro had four siblings: Margarita, Gabriel, Ana and Francisco.[1] He attended Colegio Centro América,[1] then college at the University of San Francisco, graduating magna cum laude in economics.[4] He earned a Master’s degree in economics with a mention in social policies from Georgetown University, then a doctorate in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in econometrics. His dissertation examined on property rights and their impact on the Nicaraguan economy.[4]
Career
editIn 1990, his uncle’s widow Violeta Barrios de Chamorro successfully ran as a conservative candidate for President, defeating Sandinista Daniel Ortega and serving as President until 1997.[3]
In 1997 Chamorro became director of agriculture policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, his first role in public service.[1]
From 2002 to 2006, Chamorro served a number of different roles in the administration of President Enrique Bolaños: Director General of the Millennium Challenge Account Nicaragua; Deputy Minister of Finance and Public Credit; Technical Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic and Coordinator of the National Public Investment System.[5]
Chamorro is executive director of economic think tank FUNIDES and represented the business sector in the 2018 National Dialogue, as a leader of the Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy (ACJD) opposition to the government of President Daniel Ortega.[4] The ACJD emerged in the 2018–2021 Nicaraguan protests. In January 2021, Chamorro stepped down as director of ACJD to focus on electoral politics.[6]
He has called for election reforms in advance of the 2021 elections, including raising the percentage required to win without going through a runoff.[7]
2021 presidential campaign
editIn 2021 Chamorro García is an opposition pre-candidate for the presidency in the Nicaraguan general election.[8] On June 8, 2021, Chamorro García was arrested, the fourth opposition candidate to be detained by the ruling party.[8]
His cousin Cristiana Chamorro Barrios also campaigned for the position until being detained.[8]
Personal life
editChamorro married Victoria Cárdenas circa 1999.[1] They have one daughter.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f Ortega, Gustavo (2021-04-07). "Juan Sebastián Chamorro: "Espero ser yo el candidato de la oposición"". La Prensa (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-10.
- ^ Kinzer, Stephen (1987-10-04). "The Chamorros: Nicaragua's Remarkable Press Family". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
- ^ a b Sheridan, Mary Beth. "Nicaragua's Ortega is strangling La Prensa, one of Latin America's most storied newspapers". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2020-11-29. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
- ^ a b c "Juan Sebastian Chamorro". AGLN - Aspen Global Leadership Network. Aspen Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- ^ Álvarez, Leonor. "Estos Son Los 21 Delegados Que Integran El Comité De La Coalición Nacional." July 15, 2020 via ProQuest.
- ^ "Juan Sebastián Chamorro deja la ACJD para dedicarse a la "política"". Confidencial (in Spanish). 2021-01-11. Archived from the original on 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- ^ "Nicaragua opposition figure seeks rule changes for 2021 vote". WTOP. 2020-12-11. Archived from the original on 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
- ^ a b c "Nicaragua arrests 2 more potential challengers to Ortega". Washington Post. June 8, 2021. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.