Rafael Correa

**Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado**  born April 6, 1963 in Guayaquil, was the 43rd President of Ecuador, and in 2009-2010 was the president _pro tempore_ of the UNASUR.

Correa was elected President of Ecuador in late 2006 and took office in January 2007. In December 2008, he declared Ecuador's national debt illegitimate, based on the argument that it had been contracted by despotic prior regimes.

Correa's first term in office had been due to end on January 15, 2011, but the new approved constitution, written by the new National Assembly, called for general elections for April 26, 2009. In that election, Rafael Correa won in the first round with 51.9% of votes counted.

## Early life

Rafael Correa was raised in a working class family from Guayaquil, the country's largest city. His father was Rafael Correa Icaza, born in the Province of Los Ríos, Ecuador, 23 March 1934, and deceased 10 June 1995. His mother is Norma Delgado Rendón, born 1 September 1939. His parents had three more children: Fabricio Correa, Pierina Correa and Bernardita Correa.

He attended primary and secondary school in San José-La Salle School in Guayaquil. During his youth he was a boy scout. Correa met his future Vice President, Jorge Glas while they were scouts as youth.

During his secondary studies he was president of the Lasallian Student Cultural Association ("ACEL" in Spanish). Afterwards and based on his academic achievements, he was given a scholarship to study at the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil (UCSG in Spanish), a private higher education institution in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where he obtained an undergraduate degree in economics in 1987.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Rafael Correa
- **image**: Rafael Correa 2019.jpg
- **caption**: Correa in 2019
- **order**: 45th
- **office**: President of Ecuador
- **vicepresident**: Lenín Moreno
Jorge Glas
- **term start**: 15 January 2007
- **term end**: 24 May 2017
- **predecessor**: Alfredo Palacio
- **successor**: Lenín Moreno
- **office1**: President pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations
- **term start1**: 10 August 2009
- **term end1**: 26 November 2010
- **predecessor1**: Michelle Bachelet
- **successor1**: Bharrat Jagdeo
- **office2**: President pro tempore of Community of Latin American and Caribbean States
- **term start2**: 28 January 2015
- **term end2**: 28 January 2016
- **predecessor2**: Luis Guillermo Solís
- **successor2**: Danilo Medina
- **office3**: President of the PAIS Alliance
- **term start3**: 3 April 2006
- **term end3**: 1 May 2017
- **predecessor3**: Position established
- **successor3**: Lenín Moreno
- **office4**: Minister of Finance
- **president4**: Alfredo Palacio
- **term start4**: 20 April 2005
- **term end4**: 9 August 2005
- **predecessor4**: Mauricio Yepez
- **successor4**: Magdalena Barreiro
- **birth name**: Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado
- **birth place**: Guayaquil, Ecuador
- **party**: PAIS Alliance (until 2018)
The Citizens' Revolution Party (2018)
- **otherparty**: [//es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acuerdo_Nacional_(Ecuador) Acuerdo Nacional] (since 2018)
- **children**: 3
- **alma mater**: Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Catholic University of Guayaquil
Université catholique de Louvain, UCLouvain
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- **signature**: Rafael_Correa_signature.svg