Blackwell Reference Online

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Rafael Correa, a leftist economist, was elected president of Ecuador in November 2006. Correa, a self-appointed “Christian Socialist,” postulates in line with Hugo Chávez of Venezuela and Evo Morales of Bolivia a twenty-first-century socialism. The first measures of his administration, such as the initiation of a constitutional reform and the rejection of economic control through the IMF, indicate a serious intent to promote political change in Ecuador. Correa was born on April 6, 1963 in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He studied economics and obtained a PhD at the Univerity of Illinois in 2001. His professional experience ranges from professorship in Ecuadorian and US American universities to acting as CEO of the Inter-American Development Bank in Ecuador. Correa's political career started in 2005 when he served as Ecuador's minister of economy under President Alfredo Palacio. His four months in office were characterized by rejection of IMF and World Bank policies. His project to use half of the petroleum benefits, originally intended to pay off the external debt, for social purposes brought the World Bank to withhold a credit. As a consequence, Correa resigned from office. In 2006 Correa founded the party Alianza PAIS and started his presidential campaign. Promoting sovereignty, regional integration, and a constituent assembly to rewrite Ecuador's constitution, he won the presidential ... log in or subscribe to read full text