Biography
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado, born on April 6, 1963, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, was the 45th President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. An economist and politician, Correa came from a lower middle-class background and became known as one of Latin America's key leftist leaders during the region's pink tide movement. He started and led the PAIS Alliance political movement, promoting democratic socialism and policies challenging Ecuador's usual neoliberal economic practices.
Correa's educational path took him from the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil to renowned international schools like UCLouvain in Belgium and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his doctorate in economics. This international education shaped his economic views and gave him the knowledge he used in his later political reforms. In 2005, he joined the government as Minister for the Economy under President Alfredo Palacio, where he pushed for more public spending on health and education.
He won the presidency in 2006, running on a platform that criticized Ecuador's political elites, and made significant changes when he took office in January 2007. His administration worked to reduce the influence of international financial organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund while increasing government investment in social programs. During his leadership, Ecuador adopted a new constitution and joined the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas in 2009, aligning with other leftist governments in the region, particularly Hugo Chávez’s Venezuela.
Correa’s presidency led to important social and economic improvements, with poverty dropping from 36.7% to 22.5% between 2006 and 2016, and annual per capita GDP growth rising to 1.5% from just 0.6% in the two decades before. His government increased minimum wages and invested a lot in infrastructure, education, and healthcare. However, he faced criticism for authoritarian actions and limiting press freedom. After finishing his third term in 2017, Correa moved to Belgium with his wife, Anne Malherbe Gosselin, and has lived there since leaving office. He also led the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) during his presidency, expanding his impact beyond Ecuador.
Before Fame
Growing up in a lower middle-class family in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and economic hub, Correa saw the social inequalities firsthand that would later shape his political goals. His journey for higher education took him abroad, where he studied economics at top universities, gaining knowledge about Latin American economic development and critiquing neoliberal policies.
The early 2000s in Ecuador were a time of political instability, economic crisis, and the switch to the US dollar as the national currency after a severe financial collapse. This period of chaos gave rise to new political voices, and Correa's academic background and fresh take on economic policy made him stand out from traditional politicians when he became Economy Minister in 2005.
Key Achievements
- Reduced poverty in Ecuador from 36.7% to 22.5% during his presidency from 2006 to 2016
- Successfully implemented a new constitution for Ecuador and won three consecutive presidential elections
- Led Ecuador's entry into the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, strengthening regional leftist cooperation
- Served as president pro tempore of UNASUR, enhancing Ecuador's regional diplomatic influence
- Achieved 1.5% annual per capita GDP growth, significantly higher than the previous two decades
Did You Know?
- 01.He received honorary doctorates from both Moscow State Institute of International Relations and Barcelona University, reflecting his international academic recognition
- 02.Correa was awarded the Order of José Martí by Cuba in 2017, one of that country's highest honors for foreign dignitaries
- 03.His wife Anne Malherbe Gosselin is Belgian, and they met during his studies at UCLouvain in Belgium
- 04.He received the Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary, demonstrating his diplomatic reach beyond Latin America
- 05.Correa was honored with the Order of Augusto César Sandino by Nicaragua in 2010, named after the famous revolutionary leader
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| National Order of San Lorenzo | 2007 | — |
| Order of the Liberator | 2007 | — |
| Order of Francisco Morazán | 2009 | — |
| Grand Cross of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín | 2008 | — |
| Order of Augusto César Sandino | 2010 | — |
| Order of José Martí | 2017 | — |
| honorary doctor of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations | — | — |
| Grand Cross, Special Class of the Order of the Sun of Peru | 2010 | — |
| Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil) | — | — |
| honorary doctorate of Barcelona University | — | — |
| Honorary Doctorate of University of Buenos Aires | — | — |
| honorary doctor of the University of Havana | — | — |
| honorary doctor of the University of Santiago, Chile | — | — |
| honorary doctor of the University of Chile | — | — |
| honorary doctor of the National University of Córdoba | — | — |
| honorary doctor of the National University of Rosario | — | — |
| honorary doctor of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia | — | — |
| honorary doctorate of Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 | 2015 | — |
| National Order of Merit | — | — |
| Order of the Liberator General San Martín | — | — |
| Order of the Sun of Peru | — | — |
| Hungarian Order of Merit | — | — |
| honorary doctorate of University Grenoble-Alpes | 2017 | — |
| honorary doctorate | — | — |