Laurentino Cortizo

Laurentino "Nito" Cortizo Cohen (Spanish pronunciation: [lawɾenˈtino koɾˈtiso ˈko.en]; born 30 January 1953) is a Panamanian politician who has served as the President of Panama since 2019. Cortizo is the former President of the National Assembly[1] and Minister of Agricultural and Livestock Development. He was also a member of the National Assembly between 1994 and 2004, serving a year as chamber president.[2]

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Cortizo and the second or maternal family name is Cohen.
His Excellency
Laurentino Cortizo
Laurentino "Nito" Cortizo
38th President of Panama
Assumed office
1 July 2019
Vice PresidentJose Gabriel Carrizo
Preceded byJuan Carlos Varela
Minister of Agricultural and Livestock Development
In office
1 September 2004 – 10 January 2006
PresidentMartín Torrijos
Preceded byLynette Stanziola
President of the National Assembly
In office
1 September 2000 – 31 August 2001
Preceded byEnrique Garrido
Succeeded byRubén Arosemena
Personal details
Born (1953-01-30) 30 January 1953
Panama City, Panama
Political partyDemocratic Revolutionary Party
Spouse(s)Yazmín Colón de Cortizo
Children2
Alma materNorwich University (B.B.A.)
University of Texas at Austin (M.B.A.)

A member of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, he was elected as president on in the 2019 general election, winning 33.27% of the vote.[3] He took office on 1 July 2019.

Early life

Laurentino Cortizo Cohen was born in Panama City to Laurentino Cortizo Cortizo, a Galician from Beariz, Spain, and Esther Cohen of Jewish descent.[4]

Political career

Cortizo served as a member of the National Assembly from 1994 to 2004 and is described as being from the centrist wing of his party.[5] He became President of the National Assembly in 2000, serving until 2001.[2]

He also served as Minister of Agricultural and Livestock Development under President Martin Torrijos, however he resigned in 2006 due to his objections to the negotiations made in pursuit of the US-Panama Free Trade Agreement.[5]

Personal life

Cortizo is married to Yazmín Colón de Cortizo. They have two children - Carolina and Jorge. Carolina is currently the director of Wingo that is part of Copa Airlines.[6]

References
  1. Sáez, Manuel Alcántara; Freidenberg, Flavia, eds. (2001). Partidos políticos de América Latina. Centroamérica, México y República Dominicana. Universidad de Salamanca. p. 561. ISBN 9788478008377.
  2. PALABRAS LLANAS - 50 años de visión y Compromiso (1906-2006)
  3. "Cortizo wins Panama election". 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  4. "La sangre ourensana de Panamá" (in Spanish). 9 September 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. "Panama elections: Centrist Laurentino Cortizo declared winner". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. "Wingo anuncia a Carolina Cortizo como su nueva Directora General". www.wingo.com. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.