José Luna
José León Luna Gálvez (born 17 July 1955 in Huancavelica) is a Peruvian economist and politician originally from the National Solidarity party who later founded the Podemos Peru and was a Congressman representing Lima between 2000 and 2016.
José Luna | |
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President of Podemos Perú | |
Assumed office 1 October 2018 | |
Preceded by | Party founded |
Member of Congress | |
In office 26 July 2000 – 26 July 2016 | |
Constituency | Lima |
Secretary General of National Solidarity | |
In office 2 March 2014 – 29 March 2016 | |
President | Luis Castañeda |
Personal details | |
Born | Huancavelica, Peru | 17 July 1955
Political party | Podemos Perú (2018–present) |
Other political affiliations | National Solidarity (1999–2016) Peruvian Aprista Party (1995–1999) |
Alma mater | University of San Martín de Porres (BA, MA, PhD) |
Occupation | Businessman and politician |
Profession | Economist |
Career
José Luna holds a Master in Economics and a PhD in Education, both from the Universidad de San Martín de Porres. He is the owner and general manager of Telesup private distance learning university.
In 1999 Luna was a founding member of the centre-right National Solidarity party led by Luis Castañeda. Since that time, he has been a member of the political commission of the party, and since January 2011 he also has been Secretary General.
Political career
Luna was elected to Congress on the National Solidarity list in 2000 and was re-elected in the National Unity alliance list in the 2001 and 2006 elections. In the 2011 election he was re-elected for another five-year term this time on the National Solidarity Alliance ticket. In 2018 he formed his own political party, Podemos Perú.
Education career
Over recent decades, Peru's tertiary education sector has dramatically expanded, and Peru had over 140 universities in 2019.[1] Many of the 'degrees' are not recognised by any international body.[1]
Telesup was based in a Lima building behind a seven-story false facade; there were only four stories.[1] Vice News described Luna's university as being "lucrative" and "low-quality".[2] Sunedu, the state body regulating higher education standards, published a drone photograph of the site and blocked new student enrollment, giving Telesup two years to close.[1] This affected 20,000 or more students who were required to complete their studies at other licensed institutions.[1]
Arrest
On 8 November 2020, Luna was arrested for allegedly bribing authorities to register his Podemos Peru party for the elections, despite not receiving enough votes to participate.[2]
References
- Collyns, Dan (8 June 2019). "Telesup school's fake facade called 'a symbol of Peruvian university system'". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- "A Notorious Rebel Leader Just Got Peru's President Impeached From Prison". Vice News. Retrieved 14 November 2020.