Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Carlos Salinas
President of Mexico
In office
December 1, 1988 – November 30, 1994
Preceded by
Miguel de la Madrid
Succeeded by Ernesto Zedillo
Born
April 3, 1948 (1948-04-03)
Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality
Mexican
Political party
Institutional Revolutionary
Party
Spouse
Ana Paula Gerard Rivero
Religion
Roman Catholic
Carlos Salinas de Gortari (Spanish pronunci-
ation: [ˈkaɾlos saˈlinas de goɾˈtaɾi]) (born in
Mexico City on April 3, 1948) is a Mexican
economist and politician affiliated to the In-
stitutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who
served as President of Mexico from 1988 to
1994. It is widely believed he ordered his
brother-in-law’s murder as well as having an
important role in the death of Luis Donaldo
Colosio. Earlier in his career he worked in
the Budget Secretariat all the way up to Sec-
retary. He was the PRI presidential candidate
in 1988, and was elected on July 6, 1988
amid allegations of electoral fraud. He is ac-
cused of murder, organized crime, and un-
lawful embezzelment.
Political career prior to
presidency
Carlos Salinas was born in Mexico City as the
son of Raúl Salinas Lozano and Margarita de
Gortari Carvajal. He graduated with a degree
in Economics from the National Autonomous
University of Mexico in 1969. He obtained a
Master of Public Administration in 1973, a
Master of Arts in 1976, and a PhD in Political
Economy and Government in 1978, all from
Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Govern-
ment and Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences. Upon his return to Mexico he be-
came a professor at his alma mater. Although
a member of the PRI since his student days,
it was not until the presidency of Miguel de
la Madrid that he was assigned a government
post as minister of the Bureau of Planning
and Budget (Secretaría de Planeación y Pre-
supuesto), where he served from 1982-1987.
The political atmosphere in Mexico began
to change during the 1980s. The country was
experiencing economic crisis, mainly caused
by the splurges of previous administrations
and a drastic drop in