Rafael Correa

Rafael Correa

Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who has served as President of the Republic of Ecuador since 2007. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement, Correa is a democratic socialist and his administration has focused on the implementation of leftist policies, poverty reduction, and combating the influence of the United States and multinational corporations in Ecuador. Internationally, he served as president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. Born to a lower middle-class mestizo family in Guayaquil, Correa studied economics at the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, the Université catholique de Louvain, and the University of Illinois, where he received his PhD. Returning to Ecuador, in 2005 he became the Minister for the Economy in President Alfredo Palacio's government, successfully lobbying Congress for increased spending on health and education projects. Correa won the presidency in the 2006 general election on a platform criticizing the established political elites.

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