Ernesto Samper Pizano (born 3 August 1950) was President of Colombia from 7 August 1994 to 7 August 1998, succeeding Cesar Gaviria and preceding Andres Pastrana Arango. He was a member of the Colombian Liberal Party.
Biography[]
Ernesto Samper Pizano was born in Bogota, Colombia on 3 August 1950 to an aristocratic and wealthy family of writers. He studied economics at Columbia University in the United States, and he became involved with politics as a member of the Colombian Liberal Party. In 1993, he ran for president against Colombian Conservative Party candidate Andres Pastrana Arango, and his campaign managers received over $6,000,000 from the Cali Cartel. He won the presidency by a 2% margin, and he was the subject of a criminal investigation for years due to his acceptance of drug money. The United States withdrew its financial aid to the Colombian government in response to the campaign fraud allegations, and he was criticized for failing to lead an effective fight against the powerful Cali Cartel. The "8000 scandal" cost him re-election in 1998, and he would also be pressured into refusing an offer from President Alvaro Uribe to become ambassador to France in 2006. However, he became Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in 2014, having previously led the Non-Aligned Movement during his presidency.