Horacio Cartes is the current President of Paraguay and a businessman from Paraguay. He was a highly successful entrepreneur who eventually entered politics and became the president of his country. His businesses and manufacturing organizations have penetrated practically every trade possible in Paraguay, granting him extensive control over the majority of marketplaces. His career has been tarnished by controversies, investigations, and accusations, despite the fact that he has no criminal record and has been cleared of all charges. Concerns about a potential conflict of interest arose as a result of his control over enterprises and markets, as well as his huge wealth, when he decided to run for president. As with all other difficulties, he has not allowed this to impede his progress. Cartes has made significant progress in a new and exciting future for Paraguay, being true to his word and campaign pledges.
Youth and Early Life
He was born on July 5, 1956 as Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara in Asunción, Paraguay, parents Ramón Telmo Cartes and Elva Jara.
His father, a highly successful aeronautics professional, encouraged him to seek a career in the same area.
In the United States, he attended the Spartan School of Aeronautics (now known as the Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology).
In Wichita, Kansas, United States, he began an internship with Cessna on the advice of his father.
In 1975, he returned to Paraguay, where he launched his first business and began his career as an entrepreneur.
Horacio Cartes’s Career
In 1975, he started a corporation that would later be known as Banco Amambay, a currency exchange company.
He was investigated for currency fraud since he founded the currency exchange company under Alfredo Stroessner’s totalitarian authority.
He spent over four years as a fugitive until his return to Asunción in 1986, where he was imprisoned for sixty days while fraud allegations were investigated.
The alleged fraud accusations resulted from the acquisition of farm equipment from the United States using bank loans that went via a currency exchange.
In 1989, he served seven months in prison for charges related to the currency exchange company.
In 1989, he was freed from prison with all allegations of fraud against the currency exchange company withdrawn and his record cleaned.
By 1992, the currency exchange corporation known as Banco Amambay had grown into a formidable institution.
In 1994, he became a partner in Tabacalera del Este, also known as Tabesa, the largest cigarette maker.
In 2000, he denied any role in the landing of a plane carrying 343 kilograms of cocaine and marijuana on his ranch property known as La Esperanza.
He asserted that the jet carrying the illegal substances made an emergency landing at his ranch and denied involvement.
In 2001, he acquired Licorera Acosta, a manufacturer of carbonated beverages founded in 1937 by Dr. Maximo Acosta.
In 2004, the Brazilian Congress accused him of importing cigarettes into their country.
His economic empire is known as Grupo Cartes and includes banking, soft drinks, meat, and tobacco enterprises.
Prior to 2008, when he became interested in politics, he was neither a registered voter nor involved in politics or governance.
In 2009, he joined the Colorado Group, a 1997-founded right-wing political party.
According to a 2010 WikiLeaks leak, the United States government suspected him of involvement in money laundering.
The Colorado Party was so satisfied with his performance that it agreed to waive the 10-year membership limit for presidential candidates in 2013.
His presidential candidacy pledged to modernize the nation’s infrastructure, increase private investments, eliminate corruption in the Colorado Party, implement agricultural reforms, and enhance international ties.
Due to his personal wealth, he was able to lavishly fund his presidential campaign.
He was elected President of Paraguay in April 2013 with 46 percent of the vote and a term lasting until August 2018.
Horacio’s Major Opera
He became president of Paraguay on August 15, 2013.
In his first week in office, parliament granted him expanded presidential powers to take military action against the Paraguayan People’s Army (EPP).
As president, he is concerned with meeting the needs of the people and transforming Paraguay into a better nation.
He launched an emergency operation to provide food kits to low-income residents in order to ensure that they receive cheap, nutritious 2,200-calorie meals.
He is attempting to extend access to the emergency food program but discourages reliance on it.
Awards & Achievements
In his professional career, he has started and successfully managed over 25 firms.
During his tenure as president of Club Libertad from 2001 to 2012, the football team won seven tournaments.
During the 2010 World Cup qualifications, he served as president of the Paraguayan Football Association’s national team department.
Personal History and Legacy
Together, he and his wife, Mara Montana de Cartes, have three children: Sofia Cartes, Maria Sol Cartes, and Juan Pablo Cartes.
He owns and controls practically every business in one of the world’s poorest nations, including the largest cigarette and fizzy beverage manufacturers.
Reestablishing links with Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina was one of his many presidential objectives.
He asserts that his success as president will be determined by the reduction of poverty in Paraguay.
Estimated Net Worth
Horacio Cartes is a politician and businessman with a net worth of $500 million. Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara, better known as Horacio Cartes, was born in Asunción, Paraguay, on July 5, 1956. He is the current president of Paraguay.
Trivia
He adopted the slogan, “Paraguay is the greatest hidden gem in Latin America.”