Roberto Suazo Córdova

Roberto Suazo Córdoba
Sketch of Roberto Suazo Córdova
47th President of Honduras
In office 27 January 1982 – 27 January 1986
Preceded by	Policarpo Paz García (provisional)
Succeeded by	José Azcona del Hoyo
Personal details
Born	17 March 1927 La Paz, La Paz, Honduras
Nationality	Honduran
Political party	Liberal Party of Honduras
Spouse(s)	Aida Zacapa
Alma mater	University of San Carlos of Guatemala
Profession	Politician; surgeon; physician

Roberto Suazo Córdova (born 17 March 1927) is a former President of Honduras.^[1]

Biography

In 1949, he graduated as a doctor from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. After his graduation, Suazo practiced his profession at the general hospital in Guatemala City. In 1953 Suazo returned to his hometown in 1953, and he practiced medicine there for 25 years.

During his stay in La Paz, Doctor Suazo entered political life as a Liberal.

Suazo represented La Paz in the Honduran Congress as a Liberal and eventually became the party's most important figure in 1979. At that time Suazo replaced Liberal Party leader Modesto Rodas as general coordinator of the party.

In 1980 the military regime governed by General Policarpo Paz decided to restore civil power in Honduras, under a new constitution. Roberto Suazo was elected president of the subsequent constitutional convention.

Due to his popularity among Liberals, Suazo came to be the Liberal Party presidential candidate in the 1981 elections. In November of that year Suazo became the first constitutionally-elected president of Honduras, following ten years of military rule.

In the presidential vote count, Doctor Suazo convincingly defeated his rival Ricardo Zúñiga of the National Party of Honduras, with 53% of the popular vote.

Presidency

Roberto Suazo won the Honduran general election, 1981 with a promise to carry out an ambitious program of economic and social development in Honduras in order to tackle the country's recession.

Suazo was counting on U.S. financial aid to implement his plan. Honduras was very important to the interests of the United States in Central America and the Caribbean at that time, in particular due to the resilience of Fidel Castro in Cuba and the toppling of Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle by the Sandinistas.

Although U.S. aid was plentiful and on time, Suazo's government was incapable of rebuilding Honduras's damaged economy. The country's deficit skyrocketed as its military and social expenditures increased. President Suazo tried desperately to find a solution, and fired most of the members of his cabinet. However this tactic did nothing to arrest the country's economic decline.

References

1. Nueva administración creará y desaparecerá ministerios