Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero Biography

Rafael Callejas was a former President of Honduras. He served as the President from 1990 to 1994. Born in a landowning family, he moved to the United States for pursuing his graduation and post-graduation from Mississippi State University. After studying agricultural economy there, he returned to his country where he worked for a few years as a banker and as an economist. At first, he was employed at the Council for Economic Planning, and was later made the Director of Agricultural Planning. He then worked in the department of Natural Resources and later became a secretary of that department. Subsequently, he became the treasurer of the National Party of Honduras, and in the following years, acted as a member of the political commission of the party. After losing two consecutive elections, he was nominated as the presidential candidate by the party for the third time in the 1989 elections. This time, he earned the majority vote winning the presidential elections and took office for a period of four years. The primary goals of his mandate were maintaining sustained economic growth, improving the administration of justice and regaining the political and financial credibility of the country in the international arena. He served for four years and contributed significantly towards improving the economic and social conditions in his country. During his term, poverty was reduced by 8%.