Arístides Royo

Arístides Royo studied at National Institute of Panama, University of Salamanca and University of Bologna. The recorded working language is Spanish. Employment is recorded with University of Panama. Positions recorded include ambassador of Panama and President of Panama. Distinctions recorded are Order of Isabella the Catholic, Grand Cross of the Order of St.

• Name — Arístides Royo • Order — 27th • Office — President of Panama • Term Start — 11 October 1978 • Term End — 31 July 1982 • 1blankname — Military Leader • 1namedata — Omar Torrijos Herrera Florencio Flores Aguilar Rubén Darío Paredes • 2blankname — Vice President • 2namedata — Ricardo de la Espriella • Predecessor — Demetrio B. Lakas • Successor — Ricardo de la Espriella • Office2 — Minister for Panama Canal Affairs • Term Start2 — 1 July 2019 • Term End2 — 30 June 2024 • President2 — Laurentino Cortizo • Predecessor2 — Roberto Roy • Successor2 — José Ramón Icaza • Office3 — Director of the Panamanian Academy of Language • Term Start3 — 4 October 2018 • Predecessor3 — Margarita Vásquez • Birth Name — Arístides Royo Sánchez • Born — 14 August 1940 • Birthplace — La Chorrera, Panama • Party — Democratic Revolutionary Party • Alma Mater — University of Salamanca • Spouse — Adela Ruiz de Royo (early 1960s–2019; her death)

He studied law at the University of Salamanca in Spain, returning to Panama in 1965. In 1960, Royo met his future wife, a Spanish citizen named Adela María Ruiz González, while both were students in Salamanca. They married in the early 1960s and had three children - Marta Elena, Irma Natalia, and Aristides José. During the military dictatorship, he served as Education Minister from 1973 to 1974 and helped negotiate the Torrijos–Carter Treaties in 1977. Following his presidency, he was appointed Ambassador to Spain (1994–1996) and France (1998–1999). Presidents and heads of state of Panama from 1968 to 1989 were mainly appointed by either General Omar Torrijos or General Manuel Noriega, who were the two powerful strongmen during that period. President Jimmy Carter negotiated the Panama Canal treaties with General Torrijos in 1978, which were opposed by the then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan. Eleven years later, President George H. W. Bush launched the Invasion of Panama to remove General Manuel Noriega from power. On July 31, 1982, Royo announced that he had a throat ailment that required complete rest, and resigned the presidency. According to a Department of State Report, Royo was ousted as president by Rubén Darío Paredes and the National Guard. He was ousted due to domestic crises that soured the tone of Paredes' forthcoming presidential campaign. He was replaced by Ricard de la Espriella, who was further to the right of Royo and was supported by the National Guard. In 1994, he was appointed Ambassador to Spain due to his personal ties to the country. However, Royo did get some political power in the timeframe between Torrijos's death in July 1981 and the military takeover by Paredes in March 1982. He was the minister of affairs related to the Panama Canal from 2019 to 2024. He is also a senior partner at law firm Morgan & Morgan. Royo's wife, former First Lady Adela Ruiz de Royo, died on 19 June 2019. In December 2019, Royo's daughter, Natalia Royo de Hagerman, was appointed as Panama's ambassador to the United Kingdom.