 |
Rodrigo Chaves Robles49th President of Costa Rica since May 8, 2022
Date of Birth: 10.06.1961
|
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Career at the World Bank
- Minister of Finance
- Presidential Campaign
- Encouraging female employment and STEM graduates
- Presidency
Early Life and Education
Rodrigo Chaves Robles was born on June 10, 1961, in the Carmen neighborhood of San José, Costa Rica. He earned a Ph.D. in economics from Ohio State University.
Career at the World Bank
Before becoming Minister of Finance, Chaves served as the World Bank's Country Director for Indonesia and later for countries in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. In 1992, while pursuing his Ph.D., he received a four-month grant from the Harvard Institute for International Development to conduct field research on poverty, microenterprises, and small businesses in Indonesia. After completing his doctorate, the World Bank hired him to publish his research.
Minister of Finance
On October 30, 2019, President Carlos Alvarado Quesada appointed Chaves as Costa Rica's new Minister of Finance. He took office on November 26, 2019. His priorities included enforcing tax laws, increasing tax collection, combating tax evasion, and controlling government spending.
In February 2020, Chaves presented a bill to the Legislative Assembly to use government agency surpluses to repay debt. That same month, he made personnel changes within the Ministry of Finance, dismissing several employees. In protest, Deputy Minister of Revenue Vladimir Villalobos González, Tax Administration Director General Carlos Vargas Durán, Customs Service Director General Juan Carlos Gómez Sánchez, and Tax Police Director Irving Malespín Muñoz resigned.
Presidential Campaign
In July 2021, Rodrigo Chaves announced his candidacy for President of Costa Rica. His campaign focused on:
Combating corruption and penalizing those who fail to report wrongdoing
Increasing transparency between the government, press, universities, and citizens
Encouraging female employment and STEM graduates
Supporting bilingual education and welcoming foreign businessesReducing the cost of living through a five-step plan that included eliminating taxes on basic goods, reducing rice prices, lowering electricity prices, breaking up monopolies, and supporting farmers in importing more efficient agrochemicals
Presidency
Rodrigo Chaves took office as the 49th President of Costa Rica on May 8, 2022.
