Ricardo Martinelli

Martinelli married Marta Linares in 1978, and they have three children, Ricardo, Luis, and Carolina.

Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal was born on March 11, 1952 in Panama City to Ricardo Martinelli Pardini and Gloria Berrocal Fabrega. His parents were of Italian and Spanish descent.

He finished his secondary education at Staunton Military Academy in Staunton, Virginia.

He graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Arkansas. To further his education, he studied at Nicaragua's campus of the INCAE Business School.

He earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the INCAE Business School in 1977. INCAE Business School is ranked as a top global MBA program and sometimes referred to as "Harvard South."

He became an account executive at Citibank, and in 1981 was offered the position of managing stores which later became Super99. He upgraded its inventory to include groceries, promoting it as the leading supermarket chain in Panama.

He served as Director of Social Security in Panama 1994-96, and as chairman of the board of directors of the Panama Canal and as Minister for Canal Affairs 1999-2003.

In 1998, the Democratic Change Party was founded and he was its presidential candidate for 2004, in which he received 5.3 per cent of the vote.

In 2009, he again contested for the post of president, promising to cut political corruption, reduce violent crime, and reform taxation. He was supported by the business community of the country.

His prime opponent in 2009 was the ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party candidate, Balbina Herrera. She received severe setback in her campaign due to her links to former military ruler Manual Noriega, which helped Martinelli and he won with over 60 per cent of the votes.

In the year 2009, the US Ambassador to Panama complained to the U. S. government that Martinelli had asked her for wiretaps on his political opponents. She also complained of his "bullying style" and "autocratic tendencies".

From his management of Super 99 stores in 1981, he brought new departments -vehicles, machinery, and groceries. His company sponsors charities and has contributed to the social and economic development of Panama.

The Panama Canal needed upgrading to twenty-first century standards, after its opening on August 15, 1914 and Martinelli pressed for the Canal's modernization, which remains a monument to American achievement.