Lenín Moreno
Lenín Boltaire Moreno Garcés (born 19 March 1953) is an Ecuadorian politician. Moreno was the 46th President of Ecuador from 2017 until 2021. He was the Vice President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2013, serving under President Rafael Correa. His election as Vice President was well known because as a paraplegic, Moreno was one of the world’s few disabled national leaders.
Lenín Moreno | |
|---|---|
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| 46th President of Ecuador | |
| In office 24 May 2017 – 24 May 2021 | |
| Vice President | Jorge Glas María Vicuña Otto Sonnenholzner María Alejandra Muñoz |
| Preceded by | Rafael Correa |
| Succeeded by | Guillermo Lasso |
| United Nations Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility | |
| In office 19 December 2013 – 30 September 2016 | |
| Secretary General | Ban Ki-moon |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes |
| Vice President of Ecuador | |
| In office 15 January 2007 – 24 May 2013 | |
| President | Rafael Correa |
| Preceded by | Alejandro Serrano |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Glas |
| President of the PAIS Alliance | |
| In office 1 May 2017 – 1 March 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Rafael Correa |
| Succeeded by | Vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lenín Boltaire Moreno Garcés 19 March 1953 Nuevo Rocafuerte, Ecuador |
| Political party | PAIS Alliance (2006-2021) |
| Spouse(s) | Rocío González |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Central University of Ecuador |
| Signature |  |
On 2 April 2017, Moreno was elected President of Ecuador defeating banker Guillermo Lasso in the 2017 Ecuadorian presidential round-off with 51% of the vote to Lasso's 49%.[1]
On 24 May 2017, Moreno became the world’s only current head of state in a wheelchair.[2][3][4]
Early life
Moreno was born in Nuevo Rocafuerte, Orellana Province. He studied at Central University of Ecuador. He married Rocio Gonzalez and together they have three children.
Shooting
On January 3, 1998, two young men approached Moreno in a grocery store parking lot in Quito and told him they wanted his car and his money. He freely gave them his wallet and keys, but one of the men shot him in the back anyway. This incident left Moreno paralyzed.
Vice presidency (2007–2013)
During his first year in the office of Vice President of Ecuador, Moreno investigated the state of disabled people in Ecuador. He also founded the Manuela Espejo Solidarity Mission for the Disabled, which offers rehab, technical help, and psychological support to thousands of disabled Ecuadorians.
Moreno left the Vice Presidency on May 24, 2013 and was succeeded by Jorge Glas. He is the first Ecuadorian vice president to complete his term since 1992.
Honors
For his work providing respect and dignity to handicapped people, he was nominated for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. Moreno was appointed as Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in December 2013.[5]
President of Ecuador
2017 Presidential campaign
In October 1st, 2016, he was nominated to the elections to the Ecuadorian presidency by his party, Alianza País. In February 2017, Moreno and Guillermo Lasso made it to the run-off election which was held on April 2, 2017. Moreno won the election with 51% of the vote to Lasso's 49%. Moreno was then sworn-in as President of Ecuador on 24 May 2017 in Quito.[6]
Presidency
Though Moreno is a member of the PAIS Alliance, the same party as Rafael Correa, Moreno has taken Ecuador in a different direction than Correa did. Moreno is a more moderate, centrist figure and has restored presidential term limits, improved Ecuador's ties with the United States, and he has distanced himself from Nicolas Maduro's government in Venezuela.
He did not run for re-election in the 2021 election and was replaced by conservative banker Guillermo Lasso who won the election.
Lenín Moreno Media
Lenín Moreno and Rocío González on the way to the presidential inauguration
Moreno with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, 26 July 2018.
Juan Carlos Zevallos before escaping from Ecuadorian justice
Moreno with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 20 July 2019
Moreno with U.S. President Donald Trump in February 2020
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References
- ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-ecuadoreans-choosing-president-close-race-46528194
- ↑ Witte, Benjamin. ""Big Day" For Ecuador's Lenin Moreno". www.worldcrunch.com.
- ↑ "New leftist Ecuador president takes office". www.yahoo.com.
- ↑ Londoño, Ernesto (7 April 2017). "Ecuador Elects World's Only Head of State in a Wheelchair". New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/opinion/ecuador-elects-worlds-only-head-of-state-in-a-wheelchair.html?_r=0. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ↑ "Secretary-General Appoints Lenín Voltaire Moreno Garces of Ecuador Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility". Press release. United Nations. 19 December 2013.
- ↑ CNE informa "resultados irreversibles": Moreno 51.16% - Lasso 48.84%. Ecuavisa. 4 April 2017. http://www.ecuavisa.com/articulo/noticias/politica/258611-cne-informa-resultados-irreversibles-moreno-5116-lasso-4884. Retrieved 28 April 2017.