César Gaviria Trujillo

César Gaviria Trujillo served as the president of Colombia from 1990 to 1994. His presidency was marked by significant efforts to address the pervasive violence stemming from drug trafficking and guerrilla warfare. He played a key role in establishing a new constitution in 1991, which introduced constitutional changes aimed at improving governance and electoral rights.12

Gaviria also pursued negotiations with guerrilla groups and struck plea-bargain agreements with drug cartel leaders and paramilitary figures. While these efforts aimed to reduce violence, negotiations with major guerrilla factions did not yield agreements, and the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar escaped from jail before being killed by government forces. Economically, his administration continued the trend of opening the economy, reducing tariffs and government intervention.12