Osvaldo Hurtado

For the Chilean footballer, see Osvaldo Hurtado (footballer).

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Hurtado and the second or maternal family name is Larrea.

Osvaldo Hurtado
34th President of Ecuador
In office 24 May 1981 – 10 August 1984
Vice President	León Roldós Aguilera (1981–1984)
Preceded by	Jaime Roldós Aguilera
Succeeded by	León Febres Cordero
Vice President of Ecuador
In office 10 August 1979 – 24 May 1981
President	Jaime Roldós Aguilera
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Blasco Peñaherrera Padilla
President of the 1998 Constitutional Assembly
In office 20 December 1997 – 8 May 1998
Personal details
Born	Luis Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea (1939-06-26) 26 June 1939 Chambo, Chimborazo Province, Ecuador
Political party	Popular Democracy
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Spouse	Margarita Pérez Pallares ​ ​ (m. 1968)​
Alma mater	Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
Occupation	Political scientist

Luis Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea (born 26 June 1939) is an Ecuadorian author and politician who served as President of Ecuador from 24 May 1981 to 10 August 1984.

Hurtado was born in Chambo, Chimborazo Province. During his studies at the Catholic University in the 1960s, Hurtado became a student leader. Afterwards, he lectured political sociology at his alma mater and at the Centro Andino of the University of New Mexico. He became one of the most widely read political scientists of his home country. In 1977, he authored an influential book on Ecuadorian politics titled El Poder Político en el Ecuador (English: "Political Power in Ecuador").

Hurtado drew progressive Catholics and younger professionals away from the Social Christian Party and into the Christian Democrats movement which was inspired by Christian communitarianism and Liberation theology and criticized capitalist exploitation. At the time, it was the most radical among Ecuador's non-Marxist parties and Hurtado was suspected by his right-wing opponents of being a "closet Marxist". In 1978, he merged his Christian Democrats with the progressive wing of the Conservative Party to form the Popular Democracy party.

In 1979, Hurtado was chosen as running mate of presidential candidate Jaime Roldós Aguilera of the populist Concentration of People's Forces. Roldós was successful and Hurtado became Vice President of Ecuador. On Sunday, 24 May 1981, Jaime Roldós Aguilera died in a plane crash. Hurtado succeeded Roldós Aguilera as President of Ecuador and served out the rest of his term.

Hurtado is a member of the Club de Madrid. He is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.

Selected works

• Political Power in Ecuador, Westview Press, 1985, ISBN 0813302641
• Portrait of a Nation: Culture and Progress in Ecuador, Madison Books, 2010, ISBN 9781568332635

External links

• Short Curriculum at EcuadorOnline