Francisco Sagasti
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Francisco Rafael Sagasti Hochhausler OSP ( (); born 10 October 1944) is a Peruvian engineer, academic, and author who served as the
President of Peru The president of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Perú), officially called the president of the Republic of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente de la República del Perú), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is th ...
from November 2020 to July 2021. Sagasti has worked as an advisor for
economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...
at the
International Development Research Centre The International Development Research Centre (IDRC; french: Centre de recherches pour le développement international, ''CRDI'') is a Canadian federal Crown corporation that funds research and innovation within and alongside developing regions ...
,
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
, UNCSTD and the
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. After the 1992 Peruvian constitutional crisis, Sagasti left his position at the World Bank to return to Peru. In 2016, he helped found the
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...
Purple Party with
Julio Guzmán Julio Armando Guzmán Cáceres (born 31 July 1970) is a Peruvian economist, politician, and leader of the Purple Party who ran for President in the 2021 general elections getting just over 2% of valid votes. He was formerly the leader of the Al ...
. Following the dissolution of congress in 2019, he was elected into congress in January 2020, serving from March to November 2020 as a Member of Congress, representing the
Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
constituency. On 10 November 2020, following a controversial express impeachment and removal of President Martín Vizcarra by Congress due to allegations of "moral incapacity" (a 19th century concept for mental incapacity), President of Congress
Manuel Merino Manuel Arturo Merino de Lama (born 20 August 1961) is a Peruvian politician who briefly served as President of Peru for six days between 10 and 15 November 2020. He also served as the President of Congress from 16 March 2020 to 15 November 20 ...
became
President of Peru The president of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Perú), officially called the president of the Republic of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente de la República del Perú), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is th ...
. The impeachment was considered a covert parliamentary coup by many people, and after a less than a week of violent repression of the resulting mass protests, Merino resigned as the country's leader on 15 November. On 16 November, Sagasti was elected by his fellow Congressmen to succeed Merino as president of Congress so that Sagasti could become
President of Peru The president of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Perú), officially called the president of the Republic of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente de la República del Perú), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is th ...
according to the presidential line of succession. On 17 November, Sagasti became acting President of Peru. Sagasti's presidency called itself a “transitional and emergency government”. Originally slated to run for the Second Vice Presidency with the Purple Party ticket for
2021 Peruvian general election General elections were held in Peru on 11 April 2021. The presidential election, which determined the president and the vice presidents, required a run-off between the two top candidates, which was held on 6 June. The congressional elections det ...
, Sagasti quit the ticket in order to commit to his duties as President. His government coincided with the development of social conflicts such as the agrarian strike in Ica, Piura, La Libertad and Apurímac, which were resolved after the repeal of the so-called " Chlimper Law" that promoted investment in agriculture through meager labor benefits for workers from the field. Sagasti concluded the convoluted 2016–2021 presidential term on 28 July 2021, which had been started by
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for ''Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meaning " ...
on 28 July 2016 and had seen four different presidents.


Early life and education

Francisco Sagasti was born in Lima, Peru, son of Francisco Sagasti Miller and Elsa Hochhausler Reinisch. He is the grandson of the national hero Francisco Sagasti Saldaña, victor of the Battle of Tarapacá. His mother's family emigrated from
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and settled in
Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
. He enrolled in the National University of Engineering, where he graduated with a degree in industrial engineering. He attained a Master's degree (MSc) in industrial engineering at Pennsylvania State University, and completed a
Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
degree in operational research and social systems science at the
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in ...
.


Career


Advisory career


Revolutionary government of Peru

Sagasti has served numerous advisory roles over the decades. He was appointed as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Technological, Industrial Research and Technical Standards of Peru (ITINTEC) from 1972 to 1977. He was also an advisor to the Minister of Industry, Rear Admiral AP Alberto Jiménez de Lucio, during the revolutionary government of the Armed Forces, during which time as an advisor, he contributed to industrialization and technology matters. From the ministry, Sagasti also advised the National Research Council.


International advising

From 1978 to 1980, he was Advisor to the Vice President of the 
International Development Research Centre The International Development Research Centre (IDRC; french: Centre de recherches pour le développement international, ''CRDI'') is a Canadian federal Crown corporation that funds research and innovation within and alongside developing regions ...
 in Bogotá. Sagasti and two colleagues, Claudio Herzka and Hélan Jaworski, founded Grupo de Análisis para el Desarrollo (GRADE) in 1980. In 1982 he participated as a  Fulbright Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at  StanfordBerkeley
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
, and  Columbia universities.  He was Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 
Allan Wagner Tizón Edward Allan Wagner Tizón (born February 7, 1942) is a Peruvian diplomat who most recently served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from February 2021 to July 2021. He previously served twice in the position from 2002 to 2003 and from 1985 to ...
 from 1985 to 1987 while also being a member of the Advisory Council of the National Planning Institute. In 1984, he became a member of the 
United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the six main organs of the United Nations. It was established by the General Assembly in its r ...
 and served as president of the commission from 1989 to 1990. The 
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
 promoted  structural adjustment to 
Third World The term "Third World" arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact. The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the " First ...
 countries in order to establish  austerity policies in the 1980s, with such policies being reported by 
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
 as being responsible for "reduced health, nutritional and educational levels for tens of millions of children in 
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, and 
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
". Sagasti was named Chief of the newly-created Strategic Planning Division of the 
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
 from 1987 to 1990. He became Senior Advisor to the Policy Evaluation and External Relations Departments at the World Bank in 1990.


Return to Peru

In 1992, Sagasti resigned from his position at the World Bank and returned to Peru following the 1992 Peruvian constitutional crisis. He formed the Agenda Peru think tank to formulate plans on how to strengthen democratic norms and deter further political violence in Peru. During this period, he also spread awareness and criticism of the authoritarian government of
Alberto Fujimori Alberto Kenya Fujimori Inomoto ( or ; born 28 July 1938) is a Peruvian politician, professor and former engineer who was President of Peru from 28 July 1990 until 22 November 2000. Frequently described as a dictator, * * * * * * he remains a ...
. He was kidnapped by the  Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) during the  Japanese embassy hostage crisis in 1996. Sagasti was released a few days later and returned to  Costa Rica, where he lived with his family. Sagasti, upon being released, brought with him a diary of the events with the signatures of MRTA members. From 2007 to 2009, he was President of the Board of Directors of the Science and Technology Program (FINCyT) in the Presidency of the Council of Ministers in the administrations of  Jorge del Castillo and  Yehude Simon Munaro. He was reappointed in the position between December 2011 and March 2013 under the management of Óscar Valdés Dancuart and  Juan Jiménez Mayor. From 2009 to 2014, he was principal investigator of FORO Nacional/Internacional, an entity dedicated to promoting debate and consensus on critical issues for national and international development. In the 2010s, Sagasti was a member of the 
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
's Global Strategic Foresight Community.


Political career

Since the founding of the Purple Party in October 2016, Sagasti helped found and served as the ideological leader of the party. Sagasti was elected into the
Congress of the Republic of Peru The Congress of the Republic of Peru ( es, Congreso de la República) is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Congress' composition is established by Chapter I of Title IV of the Constitution of Peru. Congress is compose ...
during the 2020 Peruvian snap parliamentary election, assuming office on 16 March 2020. During the impeachment process of President
Martín Vizcarra Martín Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo (; born 22 March 1963) is a Peruvian engineer and politician who served as President of Peru from 2018 to 2020. Vizcarra previously served as Governor of the Department of Moquegua (2011–2014), First Vice P ...
, he declined to support the process, demanding "that justice follow its course and that it falls with all severity at the end of his term". President Vizcarra was removed from office by congress on 9 November 2020, a move Sagasti disagreed with. Vizcarra's removal was recognized as a coup by many Peruvians, political analysts and media outlets in the country, resulting with the beginning of the 2020 Peruvian protests. The following day on 10 November, as the President of the Peruvian Congress,
Manuel Merino Manuel Arturo Merino de Lama (born 20 August 1961) is a Peruvian politician who briefly served as President of Peru for six days between 10 and 15 November 2020. He also served as the President of Congress from 16 March 2020 to 15 November 20 ...
became the new president of Peru following the line of succession established in the nation's
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...
, forming a far-right government with the support of Peruvian Navy admirals. Protests intensified against Merino until the deaths of two protesters on 14 November, resulting with the immediate resignations of the majority of Merino's ministers. Five days after assuming the presidency, Merino resigned from the presidency as a result of the backlash.


Presidency (2020–2021)

On 16 November 2020, Sagasti was elected by the legislature to be the new President of Congress. Due to vacancies in the position of President and Vice President, he became President of Peru by the line of succession. Upon taking office, he established his four main priorities for his temporary tenure; the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, combatting corruption within the country, creating a stable economy and the promotion of education to rural areas. Support for Sagasti's presidency was expressed by
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, the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. Like preceding presidents, ''
Americas Quarterly ''Americas Quarterly (AQ)'' is a publication dedicated to politics, business and culture in the Americas. Distribution ''AQ'' has an established relationship with NTN24, an online news channel from Colombia with three million viewers, to broadc ...
'' wrote that Sagasti faced difficult relations with congress and that he will need to manage the effects of the two governments before him, including holding those responsible for violently responding to protests accountable for their actions. Sagasti attempted to reform the leadership of the National Police due to their use of violence during protests, removing Commander General Orlando Velasco from leading the National Police. Eighteen additional generals of the National Police resigned or were dismissed, with Interior Minister Rubén Vargas resigning following the change to leadership. Five days later Vargas' successor Cluber Aliaga would also resign in disagreement with Sagasti, defending the use of force by police saying that protesters initiated violence. Sagasti was eligible to seek election for a full term, however the Purple Party nominated
Julio Guzmán Julio Armando Guzmán Cáceres (born 31 July 1970) is a Peruvian economist, politician, and leader of the Purple Party who ran for President in the 2021 general elections getting just over 2% of valid votes. He was formerly the leader of the Al ...
as their candidate for the
2021 Peruvian general election General elections were held in Peru on 11 April 2021. The presidential election, which determined the president and the vice presidents, required a run-off between the two top candidates, which was held on 6 June. The congressional elections det ...
, with Sagasti on the ticket as Second Vice President. On November 27, former president Martín Vizcarra considered that Sagasti's replacement in the senior ranks "is not legal" and that the Sagasti government must "respect the institutional framework." On December 1, the former president Francisco Morales Bermúdez with former Defense Ministers Julio Velásquez Giacarini, Roberto Chiabra, Jorge Kisic Wagner, Jorge Moscoso, Walter Martos and Jorge Chávez Cresta, 12 former heads of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces and former general commanders of the Army, Navy and of the Air Force described that the change in the Police was "illegal" and maintained that the decision "is contrary to the legal system, affects the morale of the National Police of Peru and undermines the work that this institution carries out. On December 2, journalist Nicolás Lúcar released the testimony of a former member of the deactivated Special Intelligence Group (GEIN) who revealed that an alleged half-brother of the Minister of the Interior was a leader of the Shining Path terrorist group; information denied by Minister Vargas. A few hours later, Rubén Vargas Céspedes resigned from the Ministry of the Interior. He was replaced by Cluber Aliaga Lodtmann. His government set the containment of the COVID-19 Pandemic as axes, for which it managed the purchase of 48 million vaccines from different laboratories; and the holding of the General Elections of 2021, whose schedule has been met as planned. His government coincided with the development of social conflicts such as the agrarian strike in Ica, Piura and La Libertad and Apurímac, which were resolved after the repeal of the so-called "Chlimper Law" that promoted investment in agriculture through meager labor benefits for workers from the field.


Ideology and positions

Regarding his political ideology, Sagasti describes himself as being a
centrist Centrism is a political outlook or position involving acceptance or support of a balance of social equality and a degree of social hierarchy while opposing political changes that would result in a significant shift of society strongly to Left-w ...
, stating "Since college, many leftist movements have tempted me, but I don't think you have to destroy everything to create new things. ... That is what makes me a center person. I am a person with a more reformist conception of things." He has supported the removal of parliamentary immunity from the
Congress of the Republic of Peru The Congress of the Republic of Peru ( es, Congreso de la República) is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Congress' composition is established by Chapter I of Title IV of the Constitution of Peru. Congress is compose ...
, stating that such protections are used by criminals to avoid prosecution. When discussing sexual orientation and reproductive rights, Sagasti supports
marriage equality Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
and the right of
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...
due to
pregnancy from rape Pregnancy is a potential result of rape. It has been studied in the context of war, particularly as a tool for genocide, as well as other unrelated contexts, such as rape by a stranger, statutory rape, incest, and underage pregnancy. The curr ...
, though he opposes abortion in ordinary circumstances, stating "abortion is an extremely difficult situation ... An extreme situation of a young woman, a raped girl, who is not capable of being a mother, is not the same as that of an older person who has made her decisions and who has to accept the consequences. Each person has to be able to accept the consequences of their actions." Sagasti also promoted a stricter certification process for universities in Peru, saying "Higher education is not like buying gum".


Personal life

Sagasti married
Costa Rican Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the n ...
economist Silvia Charpentier Brenes in 1993, who served as a member of the
Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica The Legislative Assembly ( es, Asamblea Legislativa) forms the unicameral legislative branch of the Costa Rican government. The national congress building is located in the capital city, San José, specifically in Carmen district of the San J ...
for the National Liberation Party during their marriage and who would later become the director of the
Central Bank of Costa Rica The Central Bank of Costa Rica ( es, Banco Central de Costa Rica) is the central bank of Costa Rica. Scope In pursuit of its mission, and to maintain the economy’s internal and external balance, the goals and operating objectives of the Central ...
. The two had a daughter and divorced in 2005. Sagasti acquired Costa Rican citizenship through his marriage to Charpentier in 2008.


Awards and recognition

* 1980: United Nations Medal of Peace and Paul Hoffman Prize, awarded by the Society for International Development, for "outstanding and significant contributions to national and international development." * 1999: Resistance Prize awarded by Caretas magazine to ten personalities who stood out during the year, due to their contributions to democratic governance in Peru. * 2012: Medal of the Governor General of Canada, awarded during the first visit of a Canadian Governor General (the viceregal representative of the Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II) to Peru for "his efforts to strengthen relations between Peru and Canada." * 2013: Doctor Honoris Causa from the Continental University, Huancayo, Peru. *2017: Robert K. Merton Award from the International Network of Analytical Sociology


Publications


Books

* ''El reto del Perú en la perspectiva del tercer mundo'' (coauthored with Jorge Bravo Bresani and Augusto Salazar Bondy). Lima, Moncloa - Campodonónico Editores Asociados, 1972. * ''Tecnología, planificación y desarrollo autónomo'', Lima, Instituto de Estudios Peruanos, 1977; * ''Ciencia, tecnología y desarrollo latinoamericano'', Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1981; * ''La política científica y tecnológica en América Latina'', Colegio de México, 1983; * ''Imaginemos un Perú mejor'', Lima, Agenda: Perú, 1999; * ''Democracia y Buen Gobierno'' (with Pepi Patrón, Nicolás Lynch and Max Hernández), Lima, Editorial Apoyo, 1999; * ''Development Cooperation in a Fractured global Order'' (with Gonzalo Alcalde), Ottawa, IDRC, 1999; * ''A Foresight and Policy Study of the Multilateral Development Banks'', Stockholm, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, 2000; * ''La banca multilateral de desarrollo en América Latina'', United Nations Publications, 2002; * ''Knowledge and Innovation for Development'', Londres, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2004; * ''The Future of Development Financing: Challenges and Strategic Choices'', Basingstoke, UK, Palgrave-McMillan, 2005; * ''Power, Purse and Numbers: A Diagnostic Study of the UN Budget and Finance Process and Structure'' (with Úrsula Casabonne and Fernando Prada), Stockholm, The Four Nations Initiative, October 2007; * ''Ciencia, tecnología, innovación. Políticas para América Latina'', Lima, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 2011; * ''Un desafío persistente. Políticas de ciencia, tecnología e innovación en el Perú del siglo 21'' (coauthored with Lucía Málaga Sabogal). Lima, Fondo de Cultura Económica del Perú/ Fondo Editorial de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, 2017.


As editor

* ''Una Búsqueda Incierta: Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo'', México, Fondo de Cultura Económica, 1996. Editor (con J. Salomón y C. Sachs). * ''PERÚ: Agenda y Estrategia para el Siglo 21'', Lima, Editorial Apoyo, 2000. Publication coordinator.


Press work

* He has published more than 150 academic articles. * He has been a member of the editorial board of the magazines ''Foresight'', ''El Trimestre Económico'', '' World Development'' and '' Technological Forecasting and Social Change''. * He is a contributor to Lima newspapers and magazines, including ''
Caretas ''Caretas'' (Masks) is a weekly newsmagazine published in Lima, Peru, renowned for its investigative journalism. History ''Caretas'' was founded in October 1950 by Doris Gibson and Francisco Igartua. In the mid-1950s, Gibson's son, Enrique Z ...
'', '' Perú 21'', '' El Comercio'', and ''
La República LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...
''.


Television

* In 1990 he participated in a television series Local Heroes and Global Change, produced by WHGH, in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. * In 1985, he hosted a six-part television series on Pathways to Development, produced by TV Ontario,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. * Between 2005 and 2007, Francisco Sagasti designed, produced and hosted (with Zenaida Solís and Rafo León) a series of nine television episodes in the ''Abriendo Caminos'' program on economic, social and political changes in contemporary Peru.


Discography

* CD ''Mónica interpreta a Sagasti''. Lyrics and music by Francisco Sagasti. Interpretation by Mónica Gastelumendi (2016).


External links

*
Biography by CIDOB
(in Spanish)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagasti, Francisco 1944 births Living people National University of Engineering alumni Penn State College of Engineering alumni Peruvian people of German descent Peruvian people of Italian descent Peruvian people of Austrian descent Peruvian people of Basque descent Peruvian engineers Presidents of Peru University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Columbia University faculty Naturalized citizens of Costa Rica