Tabaré Vázquez is from the Uruguayan political party “Frente Amplio.” He was the country’s 39th President. This political leader started out as an oncologist, and a few years later, he became the mayor of his hometown. He ran for president of Uruguay twice, but both times he lost. On his third try, as a candidate for the “Frente Amplio” political party, he won the election with the most votes and became the country’s President. As President, he tried to bring about new economic reforms. The “Plan de Atención Nacional a la Emergencia Social” (PANES), which aimed to reduce poverty in the country, was one of the most successful. The President also did things to help make sure that Uruguay and other countries have good relationships with each other. Among his other reforms, the “I.R.P.F.” was the most controversial because he set a single tax rate for all income levels. It was controversial because some groups of people ended up paying more tax than others, which made people disagree. Even though Vázquez’s career has had its share of scandals, he is still well-liked and was just re-elected for a second term as President.
Early years and childhood
Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas was born in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city, on January 17, 1940.
In 1972, he got his degree in oncology from the University of the Republic’s medical school. Four years later, the French government gave him the scholarship to go to the “Gustave Roussy Institute” in Paris to learn more.
Tabaré Vázquez’s Career
Tabaré got his start in politics when, as a member of the socialist-leftist “Frente Amplio” party, he was Montevideo’s mayor from 1990 to 1995. During the same 10 years, he ran for president twice but lost both times.
Vázquez ran for office in 2004 and won with almost 51% of the vote. He was sworn in early the next year. With this historic win, he became the first Socialist-Leftist President of Uruguay who didn’t come from one of the country’s major political parties.
Most of the lawmakers were from the “Frente Amplio,” a coalition party on the left led by the new President. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil, also backed him. Because of this, he didn’t have to face too many problems as the new leader of Uruguay.
When Tabaré took office, he made some changes to the way the country’s economy worked. The “Impuesto a la Renta de las Personas Fisicas” or “I.R.P.F. Reform” (the “Income Tax on Natural Persons”) was one of the most important policies.
The reform got rid of tax slabs and gave everyone the same tax rate on their income. It also cut the value-added tax. It was an unpopular change because it meant that some people would have to pay more taxes. Even though it was very different from the careful economic policies that Tabaré’s Finance Minister Danilo Astori had been following, it was a huge success.
During the President’s time in office, there was a clear ground for social justice and equality. Vázquez put $100 million into a plan called “Plan de Atención Nacional a la Emergencia Social” (PANES) to help people meet their basic needs for the next two years.
At first, PANES was criticized because it added new food and health programs and was run by Marina Arismendi, who was Minister of Social Development. The goal of PANES was to end poverty and hunger. But it was similar to Brazil’s emergency plan “Fome Zero,” which was seen as a big step toward social development.
In November 2005, he put together a group of experts to look into the deaths and disappearances of many leftists during the last military dictatorship. His plan worked, and several dead bodies were found in places that made sense.
In the same year, the “Frente Amplio” members voted in favor of a law called “Ley de Salud Sexual y Reproductive,” so the Parliament decided to pass it. The law was meant to get rid of an old rule against abortion and make it legal in Uruguay. But, even though the majority of people wanted abortion to be legal, the President put a stop to it.
During Tabaré’s time in office, one of the problems he had to deal with was a fight with the government of Argentina. Argentina said that Uruguayan pulp mills were polluting the Uruguay River.
Vázquez was the first president of Uruguay to visit places like South Korea and New Zealand, which helped improve relations with other countries. He is also known for keeping good relations with the US, even though he didn’t sign the “Free Trade Area of the Americas” agreement that former US President George Bush started.
The President has been in a lot of political fights, like when an Uruguayan Navy ship was found to be carrying Iranian weapons in 2007. This happened at a time when the United Nations was trying to keep the world peaceful by making it illegal to trade weapons.
In June 2008, Tabaré went to Cuba for a number of important events, including a meeting with Cuban President Ral Castro. In the same year, he quit as leader of his party because people didn’t like how he wouldn’t pass the abortion law.
After his term as president ended, Tabaré said he would run for office again in 2014. He took over for José Mujica and became President again in March of the next year.
Works of note
As President of Uruguay, Vázquez took huge steps to end poverty by making changes to the way food, education, and health care were provided. In the five years, he was president, the number of poor people in the country went from 32% in 2004 to 20% in 2009.
Awards & Achievements
In 2006, the “World Health Organization” gave Vázquez the “Director General’s Award” for his work to stop people in Uruguay from smoking.
In 2007, the “Order of Merit” was given to the president of Uruguay by the government of Qatar.
In September 2010, the government of Ecuador gave him the title of “Grand Collar of the National Order of San Lorenzo.”
Personal History and Legacies
The President of Uruguay is married to Mara Auxiliadora Delgado, and they have four sons: Ignacio, lvaro, Javier, and Fabián, who was adopted.
Estimated Net worth
Tabaré is one of the most popular and richest politicians in the world. Based on what we know and what Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider say, Tabaré Vázquez is worth about $1.5 million.
Trivia
This Uruguayan President is well-known for his love of football, and from 1979 to 1989, he was the head of the “Club Progreso” team. In his last year as President of the club, he led the team to its only win in the “Professional National Championship.”