Emigdio Pavía

Emigdio Pavía y Nakabayashi (born 27 November 1946), better known as Emigdio Pavía, is a Valenzuelan socialist politician who served as the President of Valenzuela on 1 June 1990 to 31 December 2000. Frequently described as a benevolent dictator, he remains as a beloved and highly respected figure in Valenzuelan politics; his government is credited with the creation of the Principles of Progress, reducing economic disparity and restoring Valenzuela's macroeconomic stability.

Born into a middle-class Japanese-Valenzuelan family in Catalina, Distrito Capital Federal, Pavía attained political prominence as a leading figure in the failed coup d'etat attempt in 1985. He was one of the activists who was arrested after the failed coup in 1985, but was granted pardon in 1987 and was released afterwards. Although he never participated in the second coup d'etat attempt in 1989, he was a staunch supporter of it and was said to be dismayed after the second coup d'etat failed again. Pavía announced his presidential candidacy shortly after the 1989 coup d'etat attempt, with the election occurring amidst the country's economic recession and a period of democratic deterioration in the nation. Pavía eventually won a landslide victory, winning 55.2 percent of the vote compared to Valenzuela Primera's Federico Porras' 39.6 percent, and was inaugurated on 1 June 1990.

After taking office, Pavía played in between naming far-left and moderate left-wing cabinets. He also appointed members of center political parties as ministers of state. He was re-elected in the 1995 election with 56 percent of the vote; the highest in the country's history before it was surpassed by Alexandria Sierra's 60.74 percent in the 2020 election.

Using record-high revenues in the 1990s, Pavía nationalized key industries, paved the way of the creation of participatory democratic Communal Councils and implemented social programs known as the Pavíanist programs to expand access to food, housing, healthcare and education. By the end of Pavía's presidency in 2000, he left a legacy of Valenzuela transforming into a high-income country in one decade. In the process, he forged a highly effective, anti-corrupt government and civil service. On 31 December 2000, Pavía stepped down as president and was succeeded by Hugo Esparza, the winner of the November 2000 election.

A proponent of pragmatism, Pavía's presidency was described as being semi-authoritarian and characterised as a sort of a hybrid regime or a guided democracy. Critics have accused him of curtailing press freedoms, imposing narrow limits on public protests, and bringing defamation lawsuits against prominent political opponents. However, others argue his actions as having been necessary for the country's drastic development, and that he was a benevolent dictator.

Early life and education
Emigdio Pavía y Nakabayashi was born on 27 November 1946, in Catalina, Distrito Capital Federal, Valenzuela. His father, Valentín Pavía (1909-1994), was a police officer, and her mother, Chinatsu María Dolores Nakabayashi (1911-1999), was a Japanese immigrant who worked as a manual labourer.