Luis Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea (born 26 June 1939) is an Ecuadorian author and politician who served as

President of Ecuador The president of Ecuador ( es, Presidente del Ecuador), officially called the Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador ( es, Presidente Constitucional de la República del Ecuador), serves as both the head of state and head of govern ...

from 24 May 1981 to 10 August 1984. Hurtado was born in

Chambo Chambo is a city in Chimborazo Province, Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the ...

Chimborazo Province Chimborazo () is a province in the central Ecuadorian Andes. It is a home to a section of Sangay National Park. The capital is Riobamba. The province contains Chimborazo (6,267 m), Ecuador's highest mountain. Cantons The province is divided ...

. During his studies at the Catholic University in the 1960s, Hurtado became a student leader. Afterwards, he lectured political sociology at his ''alma mater'' and at the Centro Andino of the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

. He became one of the most widely read political scientists of his home country. In 1977, he authored an influential book on Ecuadorian politics titled ''El Poder Político en el Ecuador'' (English: "Political Power in Ecuador"). Hurtado drew progressive Catholics and younger professionals away from the Social Christian Party and into the Christian Democrats movement which was inspired by Christian

communitarianism Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relati ...

and

Liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". I ...

and criticized capitalist exploitation. At the time, it was the most radical among Ecuador's non-Marxist parties and Hurtado was suspected by his right-wing opponents of being a "closet Marxist". In 1978, he merged his Christian Democrats with the progressive wing of the Conservative Party to form the

Popular Democracy : ''Not to be mistaken with Irish or Marxist-Leninist People's Democracy. For the Italian party see Popular Democracy (United Left). For the Ecuatorian party see Christian Democratic Union (Ecuador)'' Popular democracy is a notion of direct de ...

party. In 1979, Hurtado was chosen as running mate of presidential candidate

Jaime Roldós Aguilera Jaime Roldós Aguilera (5 November 1940 – 24 May 1981) was 33rd President of Ecuador from 10 August 1979 until his death on 24 May 1981. In his short tenure, he became known for his firm stance on human rights. Early life and career Roldós ...

of the populist

Concentration of People's Forces The Concentration of People's Forces ( es, Concentración de Fuerzas Populares, CFP) was a populist political party in Ecuador. It was founded in 1949 and played a major role in Ecuadorian politics of the 1960s and 1970s, with its stronghold ...

. Roldós was successful and Hurtado became

Vice President of Ecuador The vice president of Ecuador is the second highest political position in Ecuador. In many instances, the vice president succeeded the president in turbulent political situations. The last time was in 2005 after the resignation of president Lucio ...

. On Sunday, 24 May 1981,

died in a plane crash. Hurtado succeeded Roldós Aguilera as President of Ecuador and served out the rest of his term. Hurtado is a member of the

Club de Madrid Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community. Composed of 121 regular members from 72 countries, including 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates and 20 first female heads ...

. He is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.

Selected works

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References

External links

Short Curriculum at EcuadorOnline
1939 births Living people People from Chambo Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador alumni Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador faculty University of New Mexico faculty Vice presidents of Ecuador Presidents of Ecuador Christian Democratic Union (Ecuador) politicians Members of the Inter-American Dialogue {{Ecuador-politician-stub