JAIME ROLDÓS AGUILERA: BIOGRAPHY, PRESIDENCY, WORKS AND DEATH - ARTE - 2024

Jaime Roldós Aguilera (1940-1981) was a lawyer, politician and thirty-third president of Ecuador during a period characterized by the return to democracy, after almost ten years of dictatorial governments in the South American country.

In his political career he defended labor benefits, a stable democracy and human rights in general, an example of this was his emblematic "Charter of Conduct" that he implemented for the unification of democratic countries in defense of the universal principles of justice and equity.

Unknown - Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador

He was a strong opponent of the Latin American dictatorships that coincided with his presidency, echoing this in international instances. His voice for this fight only ceased after his tragic death in a plane crash, which is still controversial today.

Biography

Jaime Roldós Aguilera was born on November 5, 1940 in Guayaquil (Ecuador) being the son of Santiago Roldós Soria and Victoría Aguilera Mounton.c He attended high school at the Vicente Rocafuerte National School, where he stood out as a good student and worthy of recognition such as the Grand Prize Vicente Rocafuerte and Best Vicentino Bachelor.

Already in this youth period, Roldós began to experiment with leadership when he was elected President of the Federation of Secondary Students. This responsibility was continued at the University of Guayaquil where he combined his law studies with his work in charge of the National Federation of Students.

In 1962 he married Martha Bucaram, whom he met at university and was the granddaughter of the leader of the Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP) party and his future political mentor, Assad Bucaram.

Roldós taught in colleges and universities in Guayaquil, but soon left this field to embark on a path of no return to politics. In 1968 he was elected Deputy to Parliament for the province of Guayas when he was only 28 years old, a position for which he was reelected in 1970.

Ecuadorian historical context

Starting in 1970, Ecuador experienced a troubled decade that began precisely that year when the constitutional president José María Velasco Ibarra dissolved parliament and was declared a civil dictator. In 1972, the Ecuadorian Armed Forces overthrew him, exiled Argentina, and imposed General Guillermo Rodríguez Lara in his place.

Rodríguez Lara's military dictatorship lasted until 1976, four months after a coup attempt that weakened his power and for which he was urged to resign. The dictator agreed to a peaceful exit with the Armed Forces that even allowed him to carry out an act of transfer of power and retire to the place of his choice.

After this dictatorship, a Supreme Government Council was established, a triumvirate made up of the Navy, the Army and the Air Force, which promised to establish a plan to return to democracy.

Roldós on his way to the presidency

In 1976, Roldós was chosen to participate in one of the three committees established by the military junta to reform the constitution. The return to democracy also included the reform of the electoral law, which was not promulgated by the triumvirate until establishing provisions that conditioned participation for the office of president of the republic.

One of the people disabled by these adjustments was the leader of the CFP party, Assad Bucaram, the virtual favorite to win. So Jaimé Roldós was launched into the presidency in his place, giving the general impression that Bucaram would govern through him, due to his youth and little public recognition.

With the slogan "Roldós to the presidency, Bucaram to power", the young candidate only obtained 31% of the votes in the first electoral round held in 1978, so he had to submit to a second vote that was postponed until April 1979.

Roldós took advantage of the time between rounds to conquer the favor of the electorate with his charisma, obtaining 69% of the votes in the second electoral round, the highest number of popular acceptance registered so far in that country.

Presidency

In 1979 at age 38, Jaime Roldós took office as president of Ecuador, the youngest in the history of that country. With his government he released the new constitution that he helped to forge, strengthened project planning, as well as the necessary reforms to establish a truly democratic state.

Unfortunately, the rise in his popularity received a bitter response from his former mentor Assad Bucaram, who, from the presidency of the Unicameral Congress, exercised strong opposition against him.

The struggle between the Executive and Congress was so bloody that Roldós asked the Legislative Power to dissolve the Unicameral Congress and formed a committee of leaders to find a solution to the power battle with the National Congress.

Eventually Roldós formed his own political party which he called: People, Change and Democracy (PCD)

Conflict between Ecuador and Peru

One of Roldós' challenges during his time as president was the armed conflict with Peru that occurred between January and February 1981, generated by the control of a border area not delimited by the Rio de Janeiro Protocol of 1941 and which caused clashes in the regions of Paquisha, Mayaicu and Machinaza.

The conflict popularly known as the Paquisha War was mediated at the diplomatic level between the foreign ministers of both countries, a serious impasse that came to a real close in 1988 when a definitive peace agreement was established.

Government works

During his short presidency of just one year and nine months, Roldós achieved the following goals:

- Reduced the working day to 40 hours a week.

- Doubled the amount of the minimum wage.

- Executed the construction of communication routes and bridges.

- Implemented the School Breakfast Program.

- Promoted the development of hydroelectric works.

- Done housing provision.

Roldós Doctrine

Roldós was recognized for his defense of Human Rights at a time when many Latin American countries were experiencing bloody dictatorships. He promoted a policy of regional integration of great repercussion with concrete actions such as the creation of the Latin American Association for Human Rights. This was established in 1980 during a summit in Quito that brought together 18 countries of the continent.

That same year, he presented before the Andean Pact made up of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, his emblematic "Letter of Conduct" in which the universal principles of justice, human rights and defense of democracy were established. For Roldós, respect for life outweighed the principles of non-intervention.

This "Letter of Conduct" also known as the Roldós Doctrine, also provides for solving conflicts between the subscribed countries, intervening in the event of the emergence of elements that threaten economic security, humanitarian entry into nations if necessary, among other benefits.

The document was criticized by conservative countries who saw it as an excuse for the Soviet Union to mediate in the region. This opposition to the Roldós Doctrine had a powerful ally, the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, who condemned the initiative through the so-called "Santa Fe Document."

Tragic death

Jaime Roldós proclaimed 1981 as the "Year of Advancement", since he had many plans yet to be executed, all framed in the National Development Plan.

His popularity was on the rise despite having struggled economically due to high levels of inflation and had made an international name for himself as a human rights defender.

However, the tragedy interrupted his life on May 24, 1981 when the presidential plane in which he was traveling crashed into the Huayrapungo hill, near Celica in the province of Loja. This accident also claimed the lives of his wife Martha, Defense Minister Marco Subía Martínez and six other people, including government, military and flight personnel.

The aircraft came from Quito, where Roldós had attended a civic-military event at the Atahualpa Olympic Stadium for the anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha and was heading to the Macará region to continue on his way to another activity.

The presidential couple left three children: Martha, 17, Diana, 16, and Santiago, 11. On the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her parents, they insisted that the accident could be the product of an attack.

The death of President Jaime Roldós and all his companions has been the subject of debates, documentaries, books, the analysis of the international interests that governed at the time of his death and hypotheses that include the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of being the organism responsible for the deaths.

However, so far, the official report continues to be that offered by the Accident Investigation Board of Ecuador, which attributes the overweight in the aircraft as the only reason for the accident.

Words of encouragement to Ecuador

The speech delivered by Roldós in his last public act hours before his death, continues to be praised today for its positive and hopeful character, the most sentimental consider it a farewell letter to their homeland. Here is an excerpt:

«… Let it not be the words but the works that bear witness to our intentions. It is time for work, effort and solidarity, not stoppages, strikes, threats, misunderstanding or rumors. Let us prove the love of the country, each one fulfilling our duty. Our passion is and should be Ecuador. Our great passion, listen to me, is and must be Ecuador ».

Legacy

His legacy continues today and could be evidenced in 2019 when the President of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, requested the Organization of American States to apply the Roldós Doctrine to solve humanitarian conflicts in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Political scientists affirm that Roldós would have had a long political career due to his moral values ​​and charisma that will serve as an example to the new generations, eager for exemplary leaders.

References:

1. The publishers of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019). Jaime Roldós Aguilera. Taken from britannica.com
2. Efrén Aviles Pino. Aguilera Ab. Jaime Roldós. Encyclopedia of Ecuador. Taken from encyclopediadelecuador.com
3. UPI files. (nineteen eighty one). Jaime Roldós, President of Ecuador. Taken from upi.com
4. Dennis Rodríguez and Mixi Mendoza. (2013). Remembering history: Jaime Roldós Aguilera. Taken from radioteca.net
5. Marco Albuja. (2015). Santa Fe I and why Jaime Roldós was a serious concern for Reagan. Taken from eltelegrafo.com
6. Sacoto Mejia, Dower. (2013). The foreign policy of the presidency of Jaime Roldós in the international context of Latin American nations. Taken from repository.ug.edu.ec