Alejandro Char Chaljub

Alejandro Char Chaljub (born 16 April 1966),[1] commonly known as Alex Char, is a Colombian politician. He served two terms as Mayor of Barranquilla[2] from 2008 to 2011 and 2016 to 2019. A civil engineer and member of the Radical Change Party, he was councilor for the Liberal Party in 1997 and in 2000 ran for the Governorship of the Department of Atlántico. Initial ballot results gave victory to his contender Ventura Díaz Mejía, but after a lengthy and often criticized process, the Administrative Supreme Court of Colombia reviewed the election results and found Char to be rightful winner of the race and allowed him to serve the remaining period of his term in 2003.[3]

Alejandro Char Chaljub
Char on the political campaign
Mayor of Barranquilla
In office
1 January 2016 – 31 December 2019
Preceded byElsa Noguera
Succeeded byJaime Pumarejo
In office
1 January 2008 – 31 December 2011
Preceded byGuillermo Hoenigsberg Bornacelly
Succeeded byElsa Noguera
57th Governor of Atlántico
In office
21 April 2003 – 1 January 2004
Preceded byVentura Díaz Mejía
Succeeded byCarlos Rodado Noriega
Personal details
Born (1966-04-16) 16 April 1966
Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
Political partyRadical Change
Spouse
Katie Nule Marino
​
(m. 1999)​
RelationsFuad Char Abdala (father)
Arturo Char Chaljub (brother)
ChildrenAlejandro Char Nule
Mariana Char Nule
Alma materUniversidad del Norte (BSc)
ProfessionCivil engineer
Websitewww.alexcharalcalde.com
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Char and the second or maternal family name is Chaljub.

In 2007 he was elected Mayor or Barranquilla with 221,625 votes equivalent to 58.38% of the total vote,[4] the biggest margin of votes in the Mayoral election history of Barranquilla, and according to an Invamer/Gallup poll, Char had a 75% approval rating in April 2008, the best ranked mayor of Colombia, a statistic that grew to an 80% approval rating at the end of 2008.[5] In 2015 he was reelected for Mayor of Barranquilla defeating his opponent, ex councilor and independent politician Rafael Sanchez Anillo. In 2022, was pre-candidate for the Presidential Election in the representation of the independent movement País de Oportunidades, but he was beaten by Federico Gutierrez in the parliamentary elections realized in March 13, 2022. Actually is candidate for third time for the Mayor of Barranquilla with the Party Radical Change in 2023.

Family

Alejandro comes from a well established and influential, Lebanese Colombian family, he is the son of Fuad Char Abdala, a Liberal former Senator of Colombia, former Governor of the Department of Atlantico in 1984, former Minister of Economic Development in 1987, and Ambassador of Colombia to Portugal, and his wife was Adela Chaljub de Char, who died in 1994. His brother, Arturo Char Chaljub was also Senator of Colombia, as is his cousin David Char Navas. His other brother, Antonio Char was the president of Junior Barranquilla, the city's foremost football team.[6] He married Katia Nule Marino on August 1999, also of Lebanese descent and a former winner of the Miss Carnival of Barranquilla pageant in 1995. She is the daughter of former Ministry of Mines and Energy and Minister of Communications Guido Alberto Nule Amín, and of Ginger Marino Mendoza, a lawyer and activist.[7] Together they have two children, Alejandro Char Nule and Mariana Char Nule.

Basketball

In 2018, the Titanes de Barranquilla became the city's first professional basketball team in 15 years. Chaljub who was Barranquilla's major at that time stressed that the team would enjoy his full support as it would support the development of the local youth. Chaljub added that the idea of having the professional team in Barranquilla came from him. He said “we studied it, analyzed it, and gave the go-ahead, because after the Central American and Caribbean Games the city was hungry for sports. And furthermore, these venues need important events to keep them running and what better way than to be with a team like Titanes at the Elías Chegwin stadium.”[8]

Controversies

Alejandro Char has been linked with corruption cases, including the bribing of judges, and the purchase of votes for his personal benefit or the benefit of his political allies.[9] The accusations were made by former congresswoman Aída Merlano Rebolledo, herself accused of participating in vote-buying patronage networks in the Caribbean Region (Colombia) and currently was captive in Venezuela.[10]

References
  1. "Curriculum Vitae of Alejandro Char" (in Spanish). Official Campaign Site of Alejandro Char. Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  2. "'La tarea está a medias en la ciudad': Alejandro Char". 26 October 2015.
  3. "Alejandro Char, Nuevo Gobernador" [Alejandro Char, New Governor]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 22 April 2003. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  4. "Boletin Informativo Nº 38" (in Spanish). National Civil Registry of Colombia. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  5. Ardila Arrieta, Laura (7 February 2009). "La buena estrella de Alejandro Char" [The Good Star of Alejandro Char]. El Espectador (in Spanish): 1. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  6. "Reseña Histórica De La C.P.D. Júnior" [Historical Review of the CDP Junior] (in Spanish). Junior Barranquilla. Archived from the original on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  7. "Nule Marino & Char Chaljub". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 2 September 1999.
  8. Titanes, el equipo que representará a Barranquilla en el baloncesto profesional Juan Manuel Cantillo Arrieta (eluniversal.com.co/), 25 September 2021. Accessed 17 November 2021.(in Spanish)
  9. "El Intocable". Revista Semana. 14 March 2020.
  10. "Primicia: SEMANA revela el escandaloso video en el que Aída Merlano se ve contando fajos de billetes para comprar votos". Revista Semana. 19 February 2022.
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