Mireya Moscoso
Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodríguez de Arias (born July 1, 1946) was the President of Panama from 1999 to 2004, representing the Arnulfista Party.
Moscoco has an interior design diploma from the Miami Dade Community College, and she is the widow of former president Arnulfo Arias. She became the first Panamanian woman to be president on September 1, 1999. She ran on a campaign to reduce poverty, improve education, and slow down the country's privatization process. She had run in the previous election (1994), when she was defeated by Ernesto Pérez Balladares of the PRD (Revolutionary Democratic Party).
Her term in office began with huge popularity and hope for change, but throughout her five-year government, numerous scandals of corruption plagued the media, but not even one of her accused allies was even investigated. The most famous one was the known as the "durodollar" scandal, in which her executive secretary filed a complaint with the police because her gardener stole thousand of dollars of her freezer. The gardener was put in jail. No one in the police even asked why a secretary had thousands of dollars on her freezer, under the bed, etc. She only said she "didn't trust in banks".
Moscoso raised eyebrows soon after her election in 1999, when she gave all 72 Panamanian legislators Cartier watches and earrings worth an estimated $146,000 just before they voted on a government-proposed budget package. She claimed the gifts were for Christmas and that she paid for them, and no investigation followed.
Needless to say, her popularity at the end of her government was in the lowest for a Panamanian president. At the end of her term in office it was characteristic the inauguration of numerous unfinished public constructions. The new Centennial Bridge over the Panama Canal was inaugurated with big parties by the government, even though it wouldn't be operational in another year because there are still no roads leading to the bridge.
She was succeeded on September 1, 2004 by Martín Torrijos, son of Omar Torrijos (the man who ousted her husband in 1968), who was elected in May 2004 with 47% of the votes. The Arnulfista Party reached only 16%, in distant third place. The blame for this humiliating loss was placed mainly on Moscoso. During the campaign, she openly attended rallies organized by her hand-picked candidate, overshadowing him. Days before the end of her term, she pardoned four Cuban exiles accused of plotting to assassinate Fidel Castro, causing Cuba to break off diplomatic relations with Panama.
The relations were nevertheless restablished under her successor, President Martin Torrijos.
With the new government, numerous mechanisms to investigate corruption cases were instituted. It is alleged that Taiwan's donations to the Panamanian government were put under private foundations that were controlled by Moscoso's Cabinet and close friends.
Moscoso is now facing allegations of corruption. She accuses Fidel Castro of initiating the allegations. [1]
| Preceded by: Ernesto Pérez Balladares |
President of Panama September 1, 1999 - September 1, 2004 |
Succeeded by: Martín Torrijos |