Jaime Roldós Aguilera facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jaime Roldós Aguilera
33rd President of Ecuador
In office 10 August 1979 – 24 May 1981
Vice President	Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea (1979–1981)
Preceded by	Alfredo Poveda
Succeeded by	Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea
Personal details
Born	(1940-11-05)5 November 1940 Guayaquil, Ecuador
Died	24 May 1981(1981-05-24) (aged 40) Huairapungo Mountain, Celica Canton, Loja Province, Ecuador
Cause of death	Plane crash
Political party	Concentration of People's Forces
Spouse	Martha Bucaram ​ ​ (m. 1962; died 1981)​
Alma mater	University of Guayaquil

Jaime Roldós Aguilera (born November 5, 1940 – died May 24, 1981) was the 33rd President of Ecuador. He served from August 10, 1979, until his death in a plane crash on May 24, 1981. Even though he was president for a short time, he became well-known for strongly supporting human rights.

Early Life and Political Start

Jaime Roldós was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on November 5, 1940. He went to high school at the Vicente Rocafuerte National School. Later, he studied law and social sciences at the University of Guayaquil. He was a very good student and earned many awards and scholarships.

When he was 37 years old, he decided to run for president. He promised to help ordinary people. In the first round of voting, he received the most votes. However, he did not get enough votes to win right away, so there was a second round of elections.

In December 1978, before the second election, there were reports of a plan to harm him. This plan was stopped by the military government.

He won the second election against Sixto Durán Ballén. He officially became president on August 10, 1979. Many important people from around the world attended his inauguration ceremony.

Presidency (1979–1981)

As president, Jaime Roldós made several important changes. On October 10, 1979, he signed a rule that made the workweek shorter, to 42 hours. On November 2, 1979, he signed another rule that doubled the minimum wage. This meant people earned more money for their work.

In March 1980, he started the National Development Plan. This plan aimed to improve the country's economy and future. He also set up a group of wise people to help solve problems in the National Congress.

He called 1981 the "year of advances" for Ecuador. In early 1981, there were small fights with Peru along the border in the Cordillera del Cóndor mountains. These fights happened in areas like Paquisha. President Roldós handled this situation with great skill. He used diplomacy to let the Organization of American States help solve the border dispute peacefully.

One of President Roldós's most important achievements was his strong support for human rights. This was at a time when many countries in Latin America were ruled by military dictators. In September 1980, he met with other presidents from the Andean region (Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru). He suggested they sign a special agreement called the Charter of Conduct. This agreement said that protecting human rights was more important than countries not interfering in each other's business.

His focus on human rights sometimes caused disagreements with other Latin American leaders. Once, at a meeting, a leader from El Salvador tried to make fun of Roldós for being young. President Roldós bravely replied that his government was chosen by many people, while the other leader's government was not.

This human rights policy was not popular with some people in the United States. They thought it might help countries like the Soviet Union get involved in the region. Relations with the U.S. became difficult after Ronald Reagan became president in 1980. Roldós even chose not to attend Reagan's inauguration. His foreign policy also connected him with governments like Nicaragua's Sandinistas.

Tragic Death

On Sunday, May 24, 1981, President Roldós and his group were flying to a military event. The event was to honor soldiers who had died in the short war with Peru. Their plane, a Beechcraft Super King Air, crashed into Huairapungo Hill. This happened near the town of Guachanamá in Loja Province.

The crash happened at a high altitude of about 2,360 meters (7,800 feet). No one on board survived. Along with the president, his wife Martha Bucaram also died. The Minister of Defense, Marco Subía Martinez, and his wife, two assistants, a flight attendant, and both pilots were also killed.

Investigations into the Crash

Right after the crash, people started wondering what caused it. The official investigation by the Ecuadorian Air Force said the crash was due to the pilot making a mistake in navigation. However, there were also rumors about other groups being involved, but these were later dismissed.

Early Inquiries

A special group of lawmakers was formed to look into the crash. This group found some things that didn't match up in the Air Force report. They also found that the plane, which was used for the president, did not have a "black box." A black box is a flight recorder that records important information about the flight. Without it, it was harder to know exactly what happened.

A police team from Zurich, Switzerland, also investigated. They believed the plane's engines had stopped working before it hit the mountain. This idea was different from the Air Force's report and was not looked into further by the Ecuadorian government at the time.

Later Investigations

Years later, in 1990, another group of lawmakers started a new investigation. This group also found many things that didn't make sense in the earlier reports. They criticized why the Zurich police findings were not fully investigated. They also questioned why the Air Force bought a presidential plane without a black box, which should have been a standard safety feature.

The investigation found that the parts of the plane's purchase documents that listed optional equipment, like a black box, were not properly signed. The plane's manufacturer, Beechcraft, said they had no record of selling a black box with that plane.

Operation Condor Theory

A documentary film made in 2013 explored the death of Jaime Roldós. It suggested that the Ecuadorian military might have been involved with something called "Operation Condor." This was a secret plan by military governments in South America to work together against people they considered enemies.

According to this theory, some people from Argentina and Chile might have been involved in a plan against Roldós. They may have seen his government as too friendly to left-wing ideas.

New Discoveries

In 2015, Ecuador's Attorney General announced that Ecuador had joined Operation Condor in 1978. This was based on a document from the CIA that was made public. It was suggested that a general from Argentina visited Ecuador and set up a special communication system for this operation.

In May 2016, more evidence from the original investigation was found in an Air Force storage area. This included small pieces of the crashed plane. The Attorney General said some of this evidence would be sent to Brazil for more tests. He also said that the military was now more willing to help with the investigation.

Legacy and Impact

Even though his popularity went down a bit in his last months, Jaime Roldós's death made his final speech very famous. He gave this speech at Atahualpa Stadium on the day he died. He spoke about how important it was for Ecuador to be united. He was on his way to another ceremony for fallen soldiers when his plane crashed.

He said: "We have worked 21 months under a constitutional government. In countries like ours, having a stable democracy means winning it every day."

"Ecuadorians, we were honest. We continue to be honest in all our actions. Actions, not just words, will show what we intend to do. It's time to work and be united, not time for strikes or rumors. Let's show we love our country by doing our duties. Our great passion is and should always be Ecuador."

"We want Ecuador to focus on what's most important, on building a noble future. A heroic Ecuador that won at Pichincha, an Ecuador with brave people, brave fighters from Paquisha, Machinaza, and Mayaicu who died in battle. A heroic Ecuador of the Cóndor Mountain Range. An eternal and united Ecuador defending its land. A democratic Ecuador that can teach humanism, hard work, and freedom. This Amazonian Ecuador, forever and always. Long live the Fatherland!"

After Jaime Roldós died, his children left the country. The National Congress chose his brother, León Roldós, to be the Vice President of Ecuador for the rest of Jaime's term. León Roldós later ran for president several times. Jaime Roldós's daughter, Martha Roldós Bucaram, also ran for president in 2009. His son, Santiago Roldós Bucaram, is a journalist. Jaime Roldós's brother-in-law, Abdalá Bucaram, started a political party and became president himself.

Jaime Roldós's most important legacy was his strong belief in human rights. The "Roldós Doctrine" means that it is okay for other countries to care about human rights inside another country. It says this concern does not go against a country's independence.

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  Jaime Roldós Aguilera

See also

In Spanish: Jaime Roldós Aguilera para niños