Background
Palacio, Alfredo was born on January 22, 1939 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
minister physician politician university professor vice president
Palacio, Alfredo was born on January 22, 1939 in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
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 Saint Louis, Missouri, in the United States.
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 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.
lieutenant 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.
Foreign 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".
Rafael Correa was elected president in November 2006 and replaced Palacio as president on January 15, 2007. Palacio was one of the candidates for the position of director-general of the, to be decided in a vote on November 9, 2006. However, on October 18, 2006, he announced he would not be pursuing the position, preferring to concentrate on his presidency until the very last day of his mandate.
Fellow: American College Physicians, American College Chest Physicians, American College Cardiology. Member: Ecuador Academy Medicine, American Academy of Sciences.