Sixto Durán Ballén
Encyclopedia
Sixto Alfonso Durán-Ballén Cordovez (born July 14, 1921 in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

) is an U.S.-born Ecuadorian political figure and architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

. He served as Mayor of Quito between 1970 and 1978, and as president of Ecuador between 1992 and 1996. He served as congressman in 1984 and again in 1998.

During his time as president he actively pursued structural reform to modernize the Ecuadorian state and cut down wasteful bureaucratic spending. The result was a significant reduction of government deficits and a thriving private sector. Durán-Ballén also led Ecuador into membership in the WTO which had a significant impact on the country's political institutions and export competitiveness. In 1995 Durán-Ballén proved to be one of Ecuador's most successful war-time leaders when his determined leadership united a divided country under the theme "Ni un paso atras" which means not a single step backwards during the Cenepa War
Cenepa War
The Cenepa War , also known as the Alto Cenepa War, was a brief and localized military conflict between Ecuador and Peru, fought over control of a disputed area on the border between the two countries...

. His term was characterized by continued political stalemate with a congress led by the Christian Democrat party.

During his term there were corruption indictments against personal members of his family, accused of illicit enrichment, in cases such as "Flores y Miel" ("Flowers and Honey") and the impeachment of his Vice President Alberto Dahik
Alberto Dahik
Alberto Dahik Garzozi is an Ecuadorian politician of Lebanese ancestry.Dahik was educated in economics in Princeton University. He served as Finance Minister from 1985 to 1987 and member of Congress from 1988 to 1992....

 for allegedly using public funds illicitly. However Durán-Ballén was never directly a part of these scandals and he is remembered for being one of the most honest politicians in the history of modern Ecuadorian politics.

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