Richard Belmont

Ricardo Pablo Belmont Cassinelli (Lima, August 29, 1945) is a Peruvian businessman, journalist, radio host and politician. He was mayor of Lima for two periods (1990-1992 and 1993-1995) and congressman of the republic, from 2009 to 2011, after taking office after the death of Alberto Andrade.

Biography

He was born in Lima on August 29, 1945. Son of businessman Augusto Belmont Bar and Cristina Cassinelli Inurritegui. He completed his school studies at the Inmaculado Corazón and Santa María Marianistas schools. He did his university studies at the Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences of the University of Lima, from which he graduated with a degree in Administration in 1967.

Business and journalistic life

Athlete, journalist, politician and owner of RBC Television (Red Bicolor de Comunicaciones), founded in 1966, and which broadcasts its signal via channel 11.1 HD in the city of Lima. He having involved thousands of people with his widespread shareholding.

He has been director of the newscast El diario del aire of Radio Unión, director of radio RBC La Estación (later Okey Radio, Radio X and Viva FM 91.9).

In 1979, Belmont, where he hosted the program A fondo on América Televisión, moved to TV Perú, which lasted until 1982.

In 1981, he joined Panamericana Televisión where he hosted the two programs El cielo es el límite and Belmont en Panamericana which lasted until 1983.

In 1981, he executed, promoted, and was the main conductor of the Teleton, which was broadcast on TV Perú, Panamericana Televisión, América Televisión, RBC Televisión, and ATV, from 1981 to 1993 and then in December of 2003, it was broadcast by the channels: Panamericana Televisión, TNP, OK TV and Red Global that lasted until 2005. It was carried out in support of the Hogar Clínica San Juan de Dios, a clinic that cares for people with physical disabilities.

In 1984, he returned to the ranks of América Televisión where he hosted the program Sábados de Belmont and Sábados de América that lasted until 1986.

In 1986, he joined the new channel RBC Televisión where he hosted the three programs Habla el Pueblo, together with Fernando Moreno, Wilder Orbegoso and Ángel Ganoza, Vivamos and The 110 Club which lasted until 1996.

He has been one of the directors of the Peruvian Institute of Business Administration, (IPAE). Between 1990 and 1995 he was president of the Municipal Sports Center Club.

In 2001, he joined the channels: América Televisión, RBC Televisión, TNP, Panamericana Televisión and then OK TV where he hosted the interview programs: Esta noche Conversamos, along with Efraín Trelles and Leslie Stewart, Belmont live, In the game of my life, The People Speak, Antologia, The night of the 11th, Nights with Belmont, Belmont presents Internacional and A corazón abierto, together with Guillermo Oviedo.

He has been president of the Peruvian Radio and Television Association (APERTV), one of the country's local media associations. He has also created the new Peruvian production company Belmont Corp International, which co-produced, together with BuenaVisión TV from New York, the program ¡...Música, maestro! on RBC Televisión (today Viva TV).

Political life

Mayor of Lima

In 1989, Belmont founded the OBRAS Independent Civic Movement, with which he won the municipal elections that same year, defeating Juan Incháustegui of FREDEMO and being elected mayor of the Municipality of Lima for the 1990-1992 municipal term.

In the 1992 municipal elections, Belmont was re-elected mayor of Lima for the 1993-1995 municipal term. this time defeating the then Mayor of Arequipa Luis Cáceres Velásquez of the Peru Electoral Alliance Al 2000-Frenatraca During this period, he was president of the Association of Municipalities of Peru (AMPE).

In its municipal administration, it was characterized by the execution of the following works:

• Javier Prado (Panamericana Sur - Via de Evitamiento / av. Circunvalación / av. Javier Prado)
• University Avenue (which comprises six districts: Carabayllo, Comas, Los Olivos, San Martín de Porres, Cercado de Lima and San Miguel)
• Bypass Alfonso Ugarte (plaza Castilla: av. Alfonso Ugarte / av. Argentina - av. Emancipation // Plaza 2 de Mayo: av. Alfonso Ugarte / av. Colonial - av. Hive // bridge av. Alfonso Ugarte / jr. Zepita)
• Ovalo Higuereta (av. Benavides / av. Tomás Marsano)
• Puente El Agustino (the so-called New Bridge, which unites El Agustino with San Juan del Lurigancho)
• Interchanger Universitaria / Panamericana Norte (Panamericana Norte / av. Universitaria)
• Reconstruction of the Costa Verde (Magdalena-San Miguel)
• Sports slabs in lower-income districts

Likewise, during his period of municipal government, in 1991, the appointment of Lima as Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco was achieved. Thanks to efforts made by the Board of Lima chaired by Eduardo Arrarte.

Presidential Candidate (1995)

For the 1995 general elections, Belmont announced his presidential candidacy for his party, the OBRAS Movement. He had former Vice President Máximo San Román and Juan Avendaño Valdez as candidates for the vice presidency of Peru. In the election, Belmont's presidential candidacy was unsuccessful after the re-election of Alberto Fujimori to the presidency of the republic. During the Fujimori regime, Belmont was part of the opposition.

Candidate for the first vice-presidency of the republic (2001)

After the fall of the authoritarian regime of Alberto Fujimori, new general elections were called for 2001. For the elections, Belmont was invited by the Independent Moralizing Front to be their candidate for the first vice presidency of the republic. On Fernando Olivera's presidential plate. In the first round, the candidacy was unsuccessful after coming in fourth place in the preferences.

Congressional Candidate (2006)

As an independent, in 2006, Belmont was invited by Acción Popular to be a candidate for the Congress of the Republic in the 2006 general elections. Former President Valentín Paniagua was also a presidential candidate for the Center Front. In the elections, Belmont was not elected to Congress after obtaining a low vote of 29,157 votes. However, he remained as an accessory.

Congressman

On August 27, 2009, after the death of Alberto Andrade, Belmont was sworn in as an accessionary congressman to complete the 2006-2011 parliamentary term.

Presidential candidate (2016)

In November 2015, Belmont agreed to be the candidate for the presidency of the republic for the Siempre Unidos party for the 2016 general elections. However, in January 2016, he announced his resignation from the presidential candidacy after not accepting pressure from the founder of the party, Felipe Castillo. Who had included Isaac Humala as a candidate for Congress.

Candidate for mayor of Lima (2018)

In the 2018 municipal elections, Belmont was once again a candidate for mayor of Lima for Peru Libertario. However, he was not elected after Jorge Muñoz's victory.

Since 2019, he has become a youtuber and, on his channel, he publishes videos analyzing topics such as local politics, geopolitics, progressivism and the popular president of Mexico, Manuel López Workshop.

Presidential Advisor (2021)

On October 18, 2021, President Pedro Castillo announced that Belmont was appointed as an adviser to the presidential office, joining his government's technical team. However, three days later, after several questions related to his past controversies, it was announced that his appointment would no longer be made official.

Disputes

In 2003, channel 7 withdrew the Belmont program due to editorial conflicts, after a confrontation with journalist César Hildebrandt.

Belmont was later criticized for being a believer in various conspiracy theories, including the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic is part of a "worldwide plan.", highlighted a video where he challenged national stay-at-home ordinances, calling them "fascism." One of his opinions revolved around the following statement: «The Sars-Cov-2 pandemic is about a project to end the lives of people who do not have rights. Do not say that I am denying the epidemic, I recognize it from day one. But more people are dying because they don't have a job, they don't have medicine, and they have defenseless immune systems."

He also accused the Purple Party of using the pandemic to "infiltrate" in the government and organize a fraud; Belmont also declared fraud when he lost the Lima elections to Jorge Muñoz. According to Belmont, the election of Francisco Sagasti as interim president represented the rise of "gay power", whose principal is the "destruction of the family". A month after these statements, Belmont and his followers defied the sanitary restrictions and gathered on a beach in protest (against the quarantine), reiterating their opposition to this " gay power".

During the 2018 Lima mayoral campaign, he made a speech with phrases toward immigrants that were recognized as xenophobic. He also declared that Venezuelan migration was part of a plan orchestrated by powers that were seeking to destabilize the country.

Another major source of criticism is the case of the "Peoples Channel", RBC. In 1986, Belmont got its own television channel. This was done thanks to the donations of 110 thousand "shareholders" citizens who were promised various benefits in exchange for their help. However, they never received their share.

On October 19, 2022, Belmont took PBO Radio off the air, which operated on the 91.9 FM frequency, and Viva TV, managed by his son Ricardo Belmont Vallerino with whom he had a legal problem, who rented the frequency from Phillip Butters. Instead, RBC Radio returned to the air at its original frequency, as well as frequency 11 of open television, returning RBC Television under a test signal. Belmont went with a group of supporters in the morning and they broke in to get the signal back, which they did. Phillip Butters responded with judicial threats that began investigations by the Public Ministry.