Alcalde ( /ælˈkældi/; Spanish: [alˈkalde]), or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo (the municipal council) and judge of first instance of a town. Alcaldes were elected annually, without the right to reelection for two or three years, by the regidores (council members) of the municipal council. The office of the alcalde was signified by a staff of office, which they were to take with them when doing their business.

The office of the alcalde evolved during the Reconquista as new lands were settled by the expanding kingdoms of León and Castile. As fortified settlements in the area between the Duero and Tagus rivers became true urban centers, they gained, from their feudal lords or the kings of Leon and Castile, the right to have councils. Among the rights that these councils had was to elect a municipal judge (iudex in Latin and juez in Spanish). These judges were assisted in their duties by various assistant judges, called alcaldes, whose number depended on the number of parishes the town had. The title alcalde was borrowed from the Arabic al-qaḍi ( قاضي,), meaning "the judge." The word alcalde originally was used for simple judges, as in Andalusian Arabic. Only later was it applied to the presiding municipal magistrate. This early use continued to be reflected in its other uses—such as in alcaldes del crimen, the judges in the audiencias; Alcaldes de la Casa y Corte de Su Majestad, who formed the highest tribunal in Castile and also managed the royal court; alcaldes mayores (a synonym for corregidor); and alcaldes de barrio, who were roughly the equivalent of the British parish constables. Because of this, the municipal alcalde was often referred to as an alcalde ordinario.

Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician of the Political Independent movement Progresistas (Progressivists) and the current Mayor of Bogotá. As a young man he became and active member of the 19th of April Movement, which later evolved into the Alianza Democrática M-19, a political party in which Petro also participated. Years later he would become the presidential candidate of the Alternative Democratic Pole in the 2010 Colombian election, but lost at ranking fourth after the now President Juan Manuel Santos, Antanas Mockus and German Vargas Lleras respectively. After departing of the Pole in 2010, Petro was elected mayor of Bogota in the Colombian regional elections of 2011.

Petro studied at the Colegio de Hermanos de La Salle, where he founded the student newspaper Carta al Pueblo ("Letter to the People"). At the age of 18 he became a member of the 19th of April Movement, and was involved in military and political activities. During his time in 19 April Petro became a popular leader, and was elected ombudsman of Zipaquirá in 1981 and councilman from 1984 to 1986.

Álvaro Uribe Vélez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβaɾo uˈɾiβe ˈβeles]; born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 39th President of Colombia from 2002 to 2010. In August 2010 he was appointed Vice-chairman of the UN panel investigating the Gaza flotilla raid.

Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia. He has held office in the Empresas Públicas de Medellín and in the Ministry of Labor and in the Civil Aeronautic. Later he held office as the mayor of Medellín in 1982, then he was Senator between 1986 and 1994 and finally Governor of Antioquia between 1995 and 1997 before he was elected President of Colombia in 2002.

Before his current role in politics Uribe was a lawyer. He studied law at the University of Antioquia and completed a post-graduate management program at Harvard Extension School. He was awarded the Simón Bolívar Scholarship of the British Chevening Scholarships programme and was nominated Senior Associate Member at St Antony's College in the University of Oxford after completing his term in office as the governor of Antioquia in 1998.

Alfredo Ramos, full name Alfredo Ramos Castilho and nicknamed Alfredo or Polvo by fans (born in Jacareí, October 27, 1924), was a Brazilian footballer in the defense role, and brother of Mauro Ramos de Oliveira.

In his career for Santos and Corinthians (1950–1957), he played 285 games, scoring 3 goals, and won one São Paulo State Championship in 1953. With the Brazilian team, he was in the roster for the 1954 FIFA World Cup, without playing any games. In the 1970s, he was coach for the São Paulo squad.

Álvaro Sánchez (born August 2, 1984 in Ciudad Quesada) is a Costa Rican footballer. He currently plays for San Carlos.

Sánchez has been a member of the Primera División de Costa Rica team San Carlos since 2007. He signed on loan with Major League Soccer side FC Dallas in March 2009.

Sánchez was selected as a member of the Costa Rica national football team squad at the UNCAF Nations Cup 2009, playing 4 games and scoring 2 goals. He made his debut for the senior side in the first match of the tournament following an injury to teammate, Yosimar Arias.