Sixto Durán Ballén facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sixto Durán-Ballén
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| 37th President of Ecuador | |
| In office 10 August 1992 – 10 August 1996 |
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| Vice President | Alberto Dahik (1992–1995) Eduardo Peña Triviño (1995–1996) |
| Preceded by | Rodrigo Borja |
| Succeeded by | Abdalá Bucaram |
| 12th Mayor of Quito | |
| In office 1 August 1970 – 16 February 1978 |
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| Preceded by | Jaime del Castillo |
| Succeeded by | Álvaro Pérez Intriago |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sixto Alfonso Durán-Ballén Cordovez
14 July 1921 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | 15 November 2016 (aged 95) Quito, Pichincha Province, Ecuador |
| Resting place | Church of Santa Teresita, Quito |
| Nationality | Ecuadorian |
| Political party | Republican Union Party (1991–1996) |
| Other political affiliations |
Social Christian Party (1951–1991) |
| Spouse |
Josefina Villalobos (m. 1945)
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| Children | 8 |
| Alma mater | Stevens Institute of Technology University of Wisconsin–Madison Columbia University |
Sixto Alfonso Durán-Ballén Cordovez (born on 14 July 1921 – died on 15 November 2016) was an important political leader and architect from Ecuador. He was the Mayor of Quito from 1970 to 1978. In 1951, he helped start a political group called the Social Christian Party. Later, in 1991, he left that party to create a new one, the Republican Union Party (PUR). After that, he ran for president for the third time in 1992.
Durán-Ballén became the President of Ecuador in 1992. He also served as a congressman in 1984 and again in 1998. During his time as president, he worked to make Ecuador's economy more modern. He also successfully handled and ended the Cenepa War during his last years in office. When he left office in 1996, many people thought he had done a good job.
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Early Life
Sixto Durán-Ballén was born on 14 July 1921, in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. His parents, Sixto Durán-Ballén Romero and Maria Eugenia Cordovéz y Cayzedo, were in the United States for a diplomatic mission when he was born.
He went to grammar schools in Guayaquil and Quito. For high school, he studied with the Jesuits at San Gabriel high school. Durán-Ballén then studied architecture at Columbia University. He graduated at the top of his class in 1945.
He married Josefina Villalobos in New York in 1945.
Starting His Political Journey
Durán-Ballén was one of the people who helped create the Social Christian Party (PSC) in 1955. He worked as the minister of public works from 1956 to 1960 under President Camilo Ponce Enríquez. After that, he went to Washington D.C. and worked at the Inter-American Development Bank.
In 1968, he returned to his architecture work. He then ran for Mayor of Quito and was elected in 1970. He was re-elected in 1974.
In 1979, he ran for president as the PSC's candidate but lost to Jaime Roldós Aguilera. In 1984, President Leon Febres-Cordero made Durán-Ballén the Minister of Housing. He held this job until 1988. At that time, the Social Christian Party chose him to run for president again.
Becoming President (1992–1996)
The 1992 Election
In late 1990, Durán-Ballén openly disagreed with the direction his party, the PSC, was taking. In 1991, he tried to become the leader of the party, but another candidate, Jaime Nebot, was chosen instead. Durán-Ballén claimed there were problems with how the votes were counted, but his complaints were not successful.
Because of this, Durán-Ballén and his supporters left the PSC. They formed a new party called the Republican Union Party. Many people liked this decision because it seemed like he was breaking away from the usual political groups. His new party then teamed up with the Conservative Party. In the end, Durán-Ballén won the second round of the 1992 presidential election, defeating Nebot.
What He Did as President
Durán-Ballén became president on 10 August 1992. At 71 years old, he was the oldest person to become president of Ecuador.
During his time as president, he worked hard to make the government more modern. He wanted to reduce unnecessary spending. He managed to lower Ecuador's inflation rate from 67% to 24%. This helped the government spend less and allowed private businesses to grow. Durán-Ballén also helped Ecuador join the WTO. This was important for Ecuador's trade and economy.
Some people criticized his economic plans. They worried that his actions would lead to Ecuador having a lot of debt later on. He also faced criticism when he removed a committee that managed external loans in 1995. People accused him of misusing public funds. In response to these accusations, Durán-Ballén asked for a public vote to allow more government changes, but most of these changes were not approved.
He also faced challenges from the World Bank. The World Bank wanted Ecuador to sell off public services, which could mean fewer jobs.
In 1995, Durán-Ballén showed strong leadership during the Cenepa War with Peru. He united the country with his famous saying, Ni un paso atras, which means "not a single step backwards." In his last years as president, he worked with President of Peru Alberto Fujimori to end the war. The war ended when both countries pulled back their troops on 28 December 1995, a few months before Durán-Ballén left office.
On 10 August 1996, Abdalá Bucaram became the new president. When Durán-Ballén left office, many people thought he had done a good job. However, experts had different opinions about his economic policies and his role in the Cenepa War.
After Being President (1996-2016)
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After his presidency, Durán-Ballén was elected as a representative for the Pichincha Province in 1998. From 2001 to 2003, he served as an ambassador in London.
In 2005, he wrote a book about his life called A mi manera... Los años de Carondelet. In 2006, he ran for the Andean Parliament but was not elected.
His Final Years
Durán-Ballén passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Quito on the night of 15 November 2016. He was 95 years old. He was survived by his wife, Josefina, and their eight children.
His public funeral was held the next day, on 16 November, at Quito's city hall. The funeral procession then went to a church service at the Cathedral of Quito. The president at the time, Rafael Correa, did not attend the funeral but announced three days of national mourning. Former president Gustavo Noboa and Durán-Ballén's first vice president, Alberto Dahik, were among those who attended. His remains were buried in a vault at the Church of Santa Teresita in Quito.
His Legacy
Durán-Ballén led Ecuador to a victory in the 1995 conflict with Peru, uniting the country with his famous slogan "ni un paso atrás" (not a single step backwards). His time as president also saw disagreements with the Congress, which was led by his old political party. This led to many accusations of wrongdoing against his government and family members. For example, his Vice President, Alberto Dahik, was accused of misusing public money. However, none of these claims were fully proven. Many believe these accusations were started by his political opponents to make his time as president seem less successful.
See also
In Spanish: Sixto Durán-Ballén para niños
