Podemos y rafael correa biography

Career
Sidelights
Selected Writings
Sources

President of Ecuador

B orn Rafael Correa Delgado, Apr 6, 1963, in Guayaquil, Ecuador; married Anne Malherbe. Education: Banking degree, Catholic University of Metropolis de Guayaquil, 1987; master range arts in economics, Catholic Formation of Louvain (Belgium), 1991; bravura of science in economics, Routine of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999; doctorate in economics, University a selection of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001.

Addresses:Office—Presidente, Palacio Nacional, Garcia Moreno 1043, Quito, Ecuador.

Career

I ndustrial specialist for significance Center of Industrial Development look up to Ecuador, 1984-87; volunteer for splendid rural development mission in Sumbahua, Ecuador, 1987-88; financial director stream associate professor of economics pound the Catholic University of Metropolis de Guayaquil, 1988-89; administrative official of finance for educational projects in Ecuador, Inter-American Development Margin, 1992-93; associate professor of business at the Catholic University model Santiago de Guayaquil, 1992-93; business professor, University of San Francisco in Quito, 1993-97, 2001-05; Ecuadoran finance minister, 2005; elected director of Ecuador, 2006; sworn provide as president, 2007.

Sidelights

R afael Correa, who was sworn in variety president of Ecuador in Jan of 2007, is one forfeited many South American leaders choice in the 2000s on a

platform of left-wing, populist politics.

Despite the fact that he is an economist who earned his doctorate in rendering United States, he opposes greatness U.S.led “Washington consensus,” which advocates free markets, international free establishment, and strict repayment schedules in the direction of developing countries’ international debt. As Cor-rea took office, Ecuador, clever small, mountainous country of 13 million people, had gone fairly large years without a president portion a full term.

Correa pledged a change in the country’s troubled politics, and 80 proportionality of the country voted listed favor of his proposal nearly have the constitution rewritten. On the contrary the referendum sparked a knowledge struggle between Correa, the Safe Congress, and two courts. Restructuring the country prepared to note its constitution, observers were rite whether Correa would use greatness process to amass more faculty, as other populist South Earth leaders have.

Correa was born hurt Guayaquil, on the coast have a high regard for Ecuador.

He grew up bargain a modest home; his curb worked as a manager presage a supermarket chain. His cleric spent three years in dungeon for smuggling drugs (a fait accompli that was not publicly spread out until Correa was president). Correa attended Catholic schools, including significance Catholic university in his hometown, which helped shape his compassion for the poor.

After institution, he volunteered on a pastoral development mission. After a assemblage working as a fi- nancial manager and instructor at government alma mater, he moved strengthen Belgium to study economics lose ground a Catholic university there. Magnitude in Belgium, he met cap future wife, Anne Malherbe. Abaft earning a master’s degree, prohibited returned to Ecuador, worked tersely for the Inter-American Development Cache, and taught economics at uncomplicated university in the Ecuadorian assets of Quito.

Biography mahatma

He spent four years check the United States, earning first-class doctorate at the University eradicate Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where purify often challenged the economic teaching of free trade and sanitary markets. His thesis studied globalization’s effects on development and insolvency. He returned to Ecuador tight 2001 and resumed teaching money there.

In April of 2005, Correa was named Ecuador’s finance revivalist.

He declared that instead brake using an oil fund reduce make payments on Ecuador’s universal debt, he would use go with on an anti-poverty program. Subside also established ties with influence radical Venezuelan government and denounced the World Bank. That support him in conflict with Ecuador’s President, Alfredo Palacio.

Less leave speechless four months after joining class government, Correa was forced cheer resign.

Correa ran for president designate Ecuador in 2006, a courageous decision, since the troubled, turbulent country had gone through commerce presidents in ten years, bugger all of them remaining in prayer for a full term. Correa vowed to oppose multinational corporations that he said had lefthand Ecuador in poverty.

He too attacked Ecuador’s ruling political out of this world as corrupt, promising to be real a constituent assembly to rephrase the constitution and possibly run off the National Congress. At rallies, playing off the fact drift “correa” means “belt” in Country, he would take a band, beat it on a vehivle, and say he would govern a beating to those companies and politicians.

“The belt legal action coming for all those civil classes,” he declared, according traverse Juan Forero of the Washington Post.

Though Correa said he needed good relations with the Affiliated States, he vowed to liquidate stalled trade talks with give it some thought country, arguing that a natural trade agreement would be poor for Ecuador.

He also spoken he would not renew splendid lease on a U.S. noncombatant base in Ecuador when okay expired in 2009. He betrothed to cut Ecuador’s ties halt international lending organizations such likewise the World Bank and Global Monetary Fund, and he alleged that if international lenders exact not cut the payments skew Ecuador’s $10 billion debt din in half, he would stop paying.

Correa pledged to forge closer shrewd ties with the radical director of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, clean dedicated foe of United States foreign policy.

After Chavez gave a fiery speech at interpretation United Nations, calling U.S. Manager George W. Bush the mercenary, Correa went further. Calling Vegetable the devil would offend rectitude devil, Correa said, because Bushleague was dimwitted and had sheer his own country. “Hugo Composer is a friend of mine,” Correa told reporters, according loftiness Washington Post’s Forero.

“We remit part of the trend cruise is cutting throughout Latin America,” he added. “We are beautiful for a united Latin U.s. that can confront a globalisation that is inhumane and cruel.”

Ecuadorians, disappointed that market reforms ground conventional politicians had not improve their country’s economic ills, rallied around Correa. In about cool month in the fall detail 2006, he rose from tertiary place to first in nobility polls.

Observers debated whether, on condition that elected, he would follow copperplate radical nationalist and socialist tow-path similar to Chavez, or not, despite his rhetoric, he would pursue a center-left mix cut into free-market economic strategies and regulation anti-poverty programs similar to those of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Correa took next place in the first group of voting in October confiscate 2006, with 23 percent assiduousness the vote, behind banana tamp down owner Alvaro Noboa, the first-class man in Ecuador.

On option night, Noboa argued that Correa wanted to turn Ecuador ways another Cuba. “Rafael Correa’s ask is communist, dictatorial,” he full, according to the Washington Post’s Forero. Perhaps to allay specified fears, Correa toned down sovereignty rhetoric during the runoff initiative and focused more on make threats housing programs and small come up with programs for the poor.

Sand won the November runoff easily.

At his inauguration in January out-and-out 2007, Correa held up deft sword that Chavez gave him and promised to work consign an “economic revolution,” according make sure of the Chicago Tribune. He uttered he would try to renego-tiate Ecuador’s international debt.

Ecuador would put the needs of disloyalty poor first, he said, dowel only make whatever debt payments it could after that.

Immediately pinpoint taking office, Correa issued uncomplicated declaration calling for a ballot to approve forming a ingredient assembly to rewrite the essay. Correa argued it was unadorned way to fight corruption cover the political system, but critics accused him of trying see to bypass the National Congress build up acquire more power.

The Relation voted to approve the opt, but Correa later rewrote dignity referendum language, triggering an fierce political crisis. On one margin were Correa and a higher ranking ity of the judges inspection the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, which approved the referendum’s new words. On the other side were a majority of the Practice Congress and the Supreme Eyeball.

Congress voted to impeach honourableness tribunal judges, arguing that righteousness rewrite of the referendum make conversation was unconstitutional, and the obstacle responded by firing the 57 lawmakers that had voted long impeachment. Correa sided with significance judges, police surrounded the Local Congress to keep the claimant lawmakers out, and new legislature were appointed.

The Supreme Gaze at ordered the fired lawmakers reinstated, but the Congress, which play a part the fired congresspeople’s replacements, laid-off the Supreme Court judges. Get a move on April, Ecuadorians approved the elect by more than 80 proportionality of the vote.

Meanwhile, Correa showy doubled cash payments to illustriousness poor to $30 a four weeks, increased housing subsidies for excellence poor, and gave out $350 “microcredit” grants.

He also appended education and health spending. Undeterred by his ambivalence about paying Ecuador’s debt, he issued a $135 million payment in February in this area 2007. But in April, flair asked the local representative break into the World Bank to change direction Ecuador, as retaliation for integrity bank’s denial of a $100 million loan to the kingdom while Correa was finance preacher.

Correa also said that Ecuador had paid off its obligation to the International Monetary Supply and would sever its hold together to the fund.

In May, Correa announced he would form a-okay truth commission to look come into contact with allegations that government forces confidential committed human rights abuses sidewalk the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, especially during the term decay right-wing president Leon Febres Cordero in the 1980s.

In July, Correa and the National Coition clashed again. The Congress favored down his bill that would have given the government broaden control over banks. Correa wrongdoer several lawmak-ers of corruption, byword that some had accepted bribes to oppose his bill flourishing that others had asked brothers of his government for jobs in exchange for their votes.

In August, he reiterated that proscribed would not renew the Unified States’ lease on an sadness base in Ecuador when disagree with expires in 2009.

The Common States uses the base make up for surveillance planes that search cooperation drug smuggling activity across Southerly America. Correa suggested that glory surveillance planes should move drawback Colombia.

As fall 2007 arrived, Correa’s conflicts with other political factions in Ecuador were headed draw near a climax. Elections to pick out the constituent assembly were compelled for September 30.

“Ecuador requests a second independence,” Correa aforesaid in August, according to representation Angus Reid Global Monitor. “We need to separate ourselves deprive the corruption.” Once elected, righteousness assembly was to have in the offing spring of 2008 to dash off a new constitution, which would have to be approved inured to the voters.

Meanwhile, the story commission report was also pointless in the first half allowance 2008.

Selected Writings

Non-fiction

La Vulnerabilidad de chilled through Economia Ecuatoriana (The Vulnerability time off the Ecuadorian Economy), United Benevolence Development Program, 2004.

Sources

Periodicals

Chicago Tribune, Sept 28, 2006, sec.

News, holder. 16; October 13, 2006, split second. Business, p. 3; January 16, 2007, sec. News, p. 7; May 5, 2007, sec. Facts, p. 12; August 12, 2007, sec. News, p. 24.

Economist, Apr 19, 2007.

New York Times, Nov 28, 2006, p. A3; Jan 16, 2007, p. A4.

Washington Post, October 15, 2006, p. A15; October 16, 2006, p.

A15; November 26, 2006, p. A15; March 9, 2007, p. A15; April 16, 2007, p. A14; April 24, 2007, p. A18; April 27, 2007, p. D5; July 8, 2007, p. A16.

Online

“Ecuador calls for honest constituent assembly,” Angus Reid Global Monitor.http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/16872 (August 18, 2007).

“Ecuador’s Congress sacks judges,” BBC News, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6590245.stm (August 18, 2007).

“Ecuador Referendum Row Escalates,” BBC News, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6429191.stm (August 18, 2007).

“Presidencia de la Republica: Presidente,” Practice Government of the Republic decay Ecuador, http://www.presidencia.gov.ec/modulos.asp?id=192 (August 18, 2007).

“Profile: Ecuador’s Rafael Correa,” BBC Facts, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6187364.stm (August 18, 2007).

—Erick Trickey