Alfredo Palacio
44th President of Ecuador
In office 20 April 2005 – 15 January 2007
Vice President	Alejandro Serrano Aguilar
Preceded by	Lucio Gutiérrez
Succeeded by	Rafael Correa
Vice President of Ecuador
In office 15 January 2003 – 20 April 2005
President	Lucio Gutiérrez
Preceded by	Pedro Pinto Rubianes
Succeeded by	Alejandro Serrano
Minister of Health
In office 11 November 1994 – 10 August 1996
President	Sixto Durán-Ballén
Preceded by	Patricio Abad
Succeeded by	Marcelo Cruz
Personal details
Born	Luis Alfredo Palacio González (1939-01-22) 22 January 1939 (age 85) Guayaquil, Ecuador
Political party	Independent
Spouse	María Beatriz Paret
Parent	Alfredo Palacio Moreno (father)
Alma mater	Case Western Reserve University
Medical career
Profession	Physician
Field	Cardiology
Institutions	University of Guayaquil
Awards	Order of the Sun of Peru (Grand Cross)

Luis Alfredo Palacio González (born 22 January 1939) is an Ecuadorian cardiologist and former politician who was President of Ecuador from 20 April 2005 to 15 January 2007. From 15 January 2003 to 20 April 2005, he was vice president,^[1] 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.

Biography

Born in Guayaquil, Palacio is a physician by profession, specializing in cardiology. 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 St. Louis, Missouri. He later lectured in cardiology and public health at the University of Guayaquil's faculty of medicine.^{[citation needed]}

Palacio was chosen as Lucio Gutiérrez's running mate in the 2002 election. It was a common sight during the campaign to see Gutiérrez, dressed in his army fatigues, accompanied by Palacio, wearing surgical scrubs. Palacio previously was the minister for health during the administration of Sixto Durán Ballén. Many of the ministers he chose were from Ecuador's left.^{[citation needed]}

One of Palacio's first proposals made as president was to hold a Constitutional Assembly to amend Ecuador's 1998 Constitution. For 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".^{[citation needed]}

Rafael Correa was elected president in November 2006 and replaced Palacio as president on 15 January 2007.

World Health Organization

Palacio was one of the candidates for the position of director-general of the World Health Organization, to be decided in a vote on 9 November 2006. However, on 18 October 2006, he announced he would not be pursuing the position, preferring to concentrate on his presidency until the last day of his mandate.^[2]

Approval rating

Palacio began his presidency with an approval rating of 53%. Palacio left office with a 29% approval rating, according to a CEDATOS survey.^[3]