Grupo Salinas Presents Winners of the 5th Annual 'Caminos de la Libertad' Essay Contest on the Topic of Freedom

USA - English

• Latin America - español

MEXICO CITY, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners were presented today of the fifth annual "Caminos de la Libertad" essay contest on the topic of freedom. This year's event also included for the first time the "Una vida por la libertad" (A Life of Freedom) award that was presented to former Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez.

The "Caminos de la Libertad" award was launched in September 2004 at the behest of Ricardo B. Salinas Pliego, Chairman of Grupo Salinas, to foment discussion on the topic of freedom. In five years, this project has grown into an increasingly ambitious intellectual and academic program. Beyond an essay contest, Caminos de la Libertad is an international effort that includes symposiums, conferences, round-table discussions and the Internet (www.caminosdelalibertad.com) to emphasize the importance of freedom around the world.

The "Una Vida por la Libertad" award was launched to encourage continued efforts at defending the concept of freedom for the good of society. It is an honor to present this year's to Felipe Gonzalez, former Prime Minister of Spain, for his role as one of the key figures in the country's democratic transition.

It should be noted that this year the "Caminos de la Libertad" essay contest received 896 entries from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, Guatemala, the Netherlands, Honduras, Israel, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Sweden and Venezuela.

The awards, as in previous occasions, are US$15,000 for first place; US$10,000 for second place, and US$5,000 for third place. The winners are:

First place

Eugenio D´Medina Lora, of Peru, for the essay entitled "Democratic Totalitarianism or Liberal democracy. Where is Latin America Headed?"

Second place

Jose Benegas, of Argentina, for the essay entitled "A democracy Without Qualifiers."

Third place

Guillermo Yeatts, of Argentina, for the essay "Freedom as a Road to Institutional Evolution."

Honorary Mention:

Abraham Ender Montano, of Israel, for the essay "Fundamentalist Man."

Imer Flores Mendoza, of Mexico, for the essay "Exploits of Freedom in the Bicentennial Anniversary of Independence and the Centennial Anniversary of the Revolution."

Lucy Martinez-Mont, of Guatemala, for the essay "Guatemala and Switzerland: Two Concepts of Freedom."

Hector Naupari Belupu, of Peru, for the essay "Precursors of Liberal Modernity. The Salmantino Scholars and their Idea of Property Rights as the Basis of Freedom."

Martin Simonetta, of Argentina, for the essay "Human Action and the Economy of Emotions."

Caesar Yegres Guarache, of Venezuela, for the essay "Oil: Enemy of Economic Freedoms in Venezuela?"

Grupo Salinas holds the belief that it is only through freedom that we can build a more prosperous and equitable Mexico.

About Grupo Salinas

Grupo Salinas (www.gruposalinas.com) is a group of dynamic, fast growing, and technologically advanced companies focused on creating shareholder value, building the Mexican middle class, and improving society through excellence. Created by Mexican entrepreneur Ricardo B. Salinas (www.ricardosalinas.com), Grupo Salinas operates as a management development and decision forum for the top leaders of member companies. These companies include: TV Azteca (www.tvazteca.com.mx; www.irtvazteca.com), Azteca America (www.aztecaamerica.com), Grupo Elektra (www.grupoelektra.com.mx), Banco Azteca (www.bancoazteca.com.mx), Afore Azteca (www.aforeazteca.com.mx), Seguros Azteca (www.segurosazteca.com.mx) and Grupo Iusacell (www.iusacell.com). Each of the Grupo Salinas companies operates independently, with its own management, board of directors and shareholders. Grupo Salinas has no equity holdings.

SOURCE The Salinas Group