Bucaram was born on February 20, 1952 into a tough neighborhood in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Abdalá Bucaram was President from August 10, 1996 to February 6, 1997. His cabinet was put together by the Vice President Rosalía Arteaga. Within months, Bucaram was accused of stealing millions of dollars of public funds.
After he took office, Bucaram tried to fix the state, which included trying to fix the stock process started by Osvaldo Hurtado (1980, Popular Democracy Party), and supported by the next three presidents: León Febres Cordero (1984, PSC), Rodrigo Borja Cevallos (1988, Democratic Left) and Sixto Durán Ballén (1992, ex-PSC).
The constitutional court said the congressional resolution to be anti-constitutional and rejected it. The congress ignored the constitutional court decision and continued to confirm Fabian Alarcon as acting president.
He was exiled from Ecuador as a punishment for his crimes in Ecuador.
Rodrigo Borja Cevallos
Rodrigo Borja Cevallos (born 19 June 1935) is an Ecuadorian politician. He was President of Ecuador from 10 August 1988 to 10 August 1992.
He focused on Ecuador's economic problems during his presidency, and he increased collaboration with other countries in the Americas.
Cevallos was born on 19 June 1935 in Quito, Ecuador. He is a direct descendant of Pope Alexander VI.
León Febres Cordero
León Esteban Febres-Cordero Ribadeneyra (9 March 1931 – 15 December 2008) was an Ecuadorian politician. He served as President of Ecuador from 1984 to 1988.
Cordero was born León Esteban Febres-Cordero Ribadeneyra on 9 March 1931 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He studied at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. Cordero married María Eugenia Cordovez in 1958. Their marriage would last until his death in 2008.
He was known in the Ecuadorian media as LFC or by his surname (Febres-Cordero). He was President of Ecuador of Ecuador for a four-year term. He was inaugurated on 10 August 1984. He succeeded Osvaldo Hurtado. During his Presidency he sought to introduce market-oriented reforms, and also led a security crackdown on a guerilla group, ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!. He was known for being a close ally to President of the United States Ronald Reagan.
In 1987 Febres Cordero was kidnapped for 11 hours by members of the air force demanding the freedom of General Frank Vargas Pazzos, who had been imprisoned after leading two uprisings in March 1986, aimed at toppling the Minister of Defense.
Congress approved a resolution granting Vargas amnesty, but Febres Cordero refused to publish the resolution, thus denying it the force of law. It was only after his January 1987 kidnapping that he signed the amnesty and released Vargas.
Cordero's presidency ended in 10 August 1988. He was succeeded by Rodrigo Borja Cevallos.
Shortly after his presidency, Cordero became Mayor of Guayaquil. He was inaugurated on 10 August 1992. Cordero succeeded Harry Soria Lamán. His term would last until his retirement in 10 August 2000. He was succeeded by Jaime Nebot.
Cordero lived in Guayaquil. He had four children with his wife of fifty years. Cordero was a smoker. He made many visits to the United States and Columbia. He once met with Ronald Reagan to discus foreign relations.
Cordero died on 15 December 2008 in Guayaquil, Ecuador from lung cancer and emphysema, aged 77.
Rosalía Arteaga
Lupe Rosalía Arteaga Serrano de Fernández de Córdova (born December 5, 1956) is an Ecuadorian politician. She was the country's first female president for only two days in 1997. Arteaga became president when Abdalá Bucaram left office.
Arteaga was born in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca (full name Santa Ana de los cuatro ríos de Cuenca) is the capital of the Azuay Province. It is located in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2500 m above sea level. The center of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Trust site because of its many historical buildings.
José María Velasco Ibarra
José María Velasco Ibarra (March 19, 1893 – March 30, 1979) was an Ecuadorian political figure. He was elected five times to the post of president of Ecuador: 1934–1935, 1944–1947, 1952–1956, 1960–1961, and 1968–1972. But only once (1952–1956) did he complete the constitutional mandate.
Ibarra was born on March 19, 1893 in Quito, Ecuador. He studied at Central University of Ecuador. Ibarra was married to Corina Parral de Velasco Ibarra until his death in 1979.
In 1933, he stood in the Ecuadorian presidential election and received 80% of the votes cast, the highest in Ecuadorian history. Velasco Ibarra traveled through several Latin American countries, including Peru, and restored Ecuador's global image. His first presidency began on September 1, 1934, but he was ousted in August 1935 by the military.
In May 1944, because of the May 28 "Glorious Revolution", he was named Supreme Chief of the Republic and was later named Constitutional President by the Constituent Assembly. In August 1947, he was again deposed by the military. Three defense ministers perpetuated the coup against Velasco Ibarra; among them was minister Mancheno, who later was his successor.
In 1952, he again won the presidential election, and began his third term as president on September 1, 1952. This time, he served his entire term, which ended on August 31, 1956. His third term was a time of progress for Ecuador: 311 schools were constructed, with another 104 in progress. More than 1359 km of roads were constructed, and 1057 km more were improved.
In 1960, he was elected president for the fourth time and was removed on November 7, 1961. In 1960, he nullified the Rio de Janeiro Protocol, which led to conflicts between Ecuador and Peru, including Paquisha in 1981 and the War of El Cenepa in 1995.
Finally, in 1968 Velasco Ibarra won the presidency for a fifth time. This government ended abruptly on February 15, 1972, when once more he was deposed in a bloodless coup, which brought General Guillermo Rodríguez Lara to power. In total, Velasco Ibarra governed nearly 13 years, making him the longest-serving president in Ecuadorian history.
Ibarra fell of a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He returned to Quito where he died from complications of his injuries on March 30, 1979, aged 86.
Jamil Mahuad
Jorge Jamil Mahuad Witt (born July 29, 1949) is an Ecuadorian lawyer and politician and the 51st President of Ecuador from August 10, 1998 to January 21, 2000.
Mahuad was born on July 29, 1949 in Loja, Ecuador. He studied at Harvard University.
Alfredo Palacio
Luis Alfredo Palacio González (born January 22, 1939) served as President of Ecuador from April 2005 to January 2007. From January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005, he served as vice president, after which he was appointed to the presidency when the Ecuadorian Congress removed President Lucio Gutiérrez from power following a week of growing unrest with his government.
Palacio was born on January 22, 1939 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He studied at Case Western Reserve University. Palacio was married to María Beatriz Paret.
Lucio Gutiérrez
Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born March 23, 1957) served as President of Ecuador from January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005. He unsuccessfully ran for president again in the 2021 election.
Gutiérrez was born on March 23, 1957 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He was married to Ximena Bohórquez.
Eloy Alfaro
José Eloy Alfaro Delgado (June 25, 1842 – January 28, 1912) served as President of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. He became one the strongest opponents of pro-Catholic conservative President Gabriel García Moreno. For his central role in the Liberal Revolution of 1895 and for having fought conservatism for almost 30 years, he is known as the "Viejo Luchador".