Rodrigo Borja Cevallos (born 19 June 1935) is an
Ecuadorian
Ecuadorians ( es, ecuatorianos) are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collect ...
politician who was
President of
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...
from 10 August 1988 to 10 August 1992. He is also a descendant of the
House of Borgia
The House of Borgia ( , ; Spanish and an, Borja ; ca-valencia, Borja ) was an Italian-Aragonese Spanish noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Valencia, the surname being a toponymic from the town ...
.
Life
Borja was born in
Quito, the capital of Ecuador. He helped to found the
Party of the Democratic Left, a
socialist political party which quickly gained strength. He served several terms in Congress, leaving it in 1982. Borja first ran for President of Ecuador in 1978, coming in fourth place. He again ran for president in 1984, receiving the most votes in the first round, 36%, but he was defeated in the runoff. He succeeded in winning the 1988 presidential election.
He focused on Ecuador's economic problems during his presidency, and he increased collaboration with other countries in the Americas. He spent time with U.S. President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; p ...
on 22 and 23 July 1990, even playing tennis with him. The two met again on 26 February 1992, at a drug policy conference.
Like all Ecuadorian presidents, he was not allowed to seek a second term. After his presidency, he remained the leader of the Party of the Democratic Left. Reelection was allowed after a
1994 referendum and he ran for President
in 1998, receiving 12% of the vote and coming in third place, and again ran for president
in 2002, receiving 14% of the vote and fourth place.
It is claimed that he is a direct descendant of
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI ( it, Alessandro VI, va, Alexandre VI, es, Alejandro VI; born Rodrigo de Borja; ca-valencia, Roderic Llançol i de Borja ; es, Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja, lang ; 1431 – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Churc ...
through his son
Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia.
Marriage and children
On 16 December 1966, in the city of
Quito, he married
Carmen Calisto. They had four children:
*Gabriela Borja Calisto
*María del Carmen Borja Calisto
*Rodrigo Borja Calisto
*Verónica Borja Calisto
See also
*
Party of the Democratic Left
*
Alfredo Vera Arrata
References
External links
Biography by CIDOB(in Spanish)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borja Cevallos, Rodrigo
1935 births
Living people
People from Quito
Presidents of Ecuador
Democratic Left (Ecuador) politicians
Rodrigo
Rodrigo is a Spanish, Portuguese and Italian name derived from the Germanic name ''Roderick'' ( Gothic ''*Hroþareiks'', via Latinized ''Rodericus'' or ''Rudericus''), given specifically in reference to either King Roderic (d. 712), the last ...