Alfredo Palacio | |
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42nd President of Ecuador | |
In office April 20, 2005 – January 15, 2007 |
|
Vice President | Alejandro Serrano Aguilar (2005-2007) |
Preceded by | Lucio Gutiérrez |
Succeeded by | Rafael Correa |
Vice President of Ecuador | |
In office January 15, 2003 – April 20, 2005 |
|
President | Lucio Gutiérrez |
Preceded by | Pedro Pinto Rubianes |
Succeeded by | Alejandro Serrano |
Minister of Health | |
In office November 11, 1994 – August 10, 1996 |
|
Preceded by | Patricio Abad |
Succeeded by | Marcelo Cruz |
Personal details | |
Born |
Luis Alfredo Palacio González January 22, 1939 Guayaquil, Ecuador |
Nationality | Ecuadorian |
Political party | Independent |
Alma mater | Case Western Reserve University |
Website | www |
Luis Alfredo Palacio González (born January 22, 1939) served as President of Ecuador from April 20, 2005 to January 15, 2007. From January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005, he served as vice president, after which he was appointed to the presidency when the Ecuadorian Congress removed President Lucio Gutiérrez from power following a week of growing unrest with his government.
Born in Guayaquil, Palacio is a physician by profession, specializing in cardiology. He studied in his home town and, later, at Cleveland, Ohio, doing residency at Case Western Reserve University, followed by a two-year cardiology fellowship at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. He later lectured in cardiology and public health at Guayaquil University's faculty of medicine.
Palacio was chosen as Lucio Gutiérrez's running mate in the 2002 election. It was a common sight during the campaign to see Gutiérrez, dressed in his army fatigues, accompanied by Palacio, wearing surgical scrubs. Palacio had previously served as the minister for health during the administration of Sixto Durán Ballén. Many of the ministers he chose were from the Democratic Left (Ecuador).
One of Palacio's first proposals made as president was to hold a Constitutional Assembly to amend Ecuador's 1998 Constitution. For a period of several months prior to assuming office, he had been a critic of the Gutiérrez regime, saying that the country was "falling apart" and in need of "intensive care".