Carlos Roberto Flores Facussé (born March 10, 1950) is a Honduran politician and businessman who served as the 33rd

President of Honduras The president of Honduras (), officially known as the President of the Republic of Honduras (), is the head of state and head of government of Honduras, and the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. According to the 1982 Constitution of H ...

from January 27, 1998 to January 27, 2002. A member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, Flores was previously the President of the National Congress from January 25, 1994 to January 25, 1998.

Background

Flores Facussé is the son of Honduran journalist Oscar Flores Midence and Margarita Facussé de Flores, and is of

Palestinian Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous p ...

descent. He is the nephew of Miguel Facussé Barjum. He, his brother Oscar Flores and his sister Celsa Flores, an artist, all attended the

American School of Tegucigalpa The American School of Tegucigalpa (or AST; ) is a private, coeducational international school located in the neighbourhood of Lomas del Guijarro, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. AST is accredited by the , the Southern Association of Colleges and Sch ...

. He then earned a dual degree in

industrial engineering Industrial engineering (IE) is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, an ...

and

international economics International economics is concerned with the effects upon economic activity from international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the international institutions that affect them. It seeks to explain the patterns an ...

and finance from

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. He became a member of Phi Iota Alpha. Soon after completing his master's degree he returned to Honduras, where he began managing the family business (the newspaper '' La Tribuna'') and participating in private and public committees, including the Honduran Central Bank and the Institute of Social Security.

Political career

During the 1970s, Flores became involved in Honduran political life, joining the

. He later became a congressman, representing the department (political division equivalent to a province) of Francisco Morazán. He served as Minister of the Presidency under the rule of Liberal president Roberto Suazo from 1982 to 1984. In the 1989 general election he ran for the presidency, eventually losing to Rafael Leonardo Callejas, the candidate of the National Party. In 1994, Flores became president of the National Congress, serving until 1998.

1997 Honduran general election

Flores won the 1997 general election, defeating Nora Melgar Castro of the National Party. He served as president of Honduras from 1998 to 2002.

President of Honduras (1998-2002)

During Carlos Flores' presidency, Honduras was struck by

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch was an extremely deadly and catastrophic Atlantic hurricane, which became the second-deadliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record. Mitch caused 11,374 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately ...

, one of the worst natural disasters in decades. It caused thousands of deaths and left the national economy in shambles. President Flores solicited international aid from several financial institutions and countries. The response was strong, and funds were directed at reinforcing Honduras' infrastructure and the agricultural and industrial economic sectors. As recommended by the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...

and

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, Flores imposed strict financial guidelines: deflationary monetary fund policies, fiscal austerity, and privatization of the airports and the national communications company, Hondutel, the latter with mixed outcome. He also limited the power held by the military forces, forcing them to relinquish some power to the presidency. On August 26, 1998, Flores instituted the Ministry of Public Security under the provisions of the National Plan to combat crime and criminality. This was a response to the ominous growth of violent gangs, particularly the

Mara Salvatrucha Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, is an international criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles, California, in the 1980s. Originally, the gang was set up to protect Salvadoran immigrants from other gangs in the Los Angeles area ...

. Government initiatives in this area did not produce significant results, and completely ignored murderous activity in the country, particularly the actions of a series of armed death squads that extrajudicially killed homeless children and adolescents living in the margins of society. Reports from Human Rights Commission United Nations, the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH) and other NGOs indicate that the casualties caused by such violence on children barely improved during the four years of Flores' presidency.

Personal life

Flores is married to Mary Flake de Flores, whom he met while a student at Louisiana State University. Their daughter, Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake, is the permanent representative of Honduras to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Footnotes

External links

Extended biography of Carlos Roberto Flores at the Fundación CIDOB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flores, Carlos Roberto 1950 births Living people Presidents of the National Congress of Honduras 20th-century presidents of Honduras Louisiana State University alumni Government ministers of Honduras Liberal Party of Honduras politicians Honduran Roman Catholics Deputies of the National Congress of Honduras People from Tegucigalpa Honduran people of Palestinian descent