Febres–Cordero Ribadeneyra, León (1931–)

León Febres-Cordero Ribadeneyra (b. 9 March 1931), president of Ecuador (1984–1988). Born in Guayaquil, Febres-Cordero began his education in his native city and completed his secondary education in the United States. He studied mechanical engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. Returning to Guayaquil in 1956, he developed a successful business career, working as a mechanical engineer, manager, and executive in a variety of public and private enterprises, including the Exportadora Bananera Noboa S.A. He was active in a variety of business and civic organizations, serving terms as president of the Guayaquil Chamber of Industries in the 1970s, the National Federation of Chambers of Industries of Ecuador, and the Association of Latin American Industries.

Febres-Cordero entered politics in the 1960s as deputy to the Constituent Assembly (1966–1967), and senator and president of the Economic and Financial Commission of the National Congress (1968–1970). He was principal spokesman for rightist critics of the military juntas that ruled Ecuador from 1972 to 1979 and led the opposition to the Constitution of 1979. Elected deputy to Congress in 1979 as a candidate of the Social Christian Party, he emerged as the leading critic of the governments of Jaime Roldós Aguilero (1979–1981) and Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea (1981–1983), and a staunch defender of coastal business interests.

Febres-Cordero won the 1984 presidential election as the candidate of the Frente de Reconstrucción Nacional, a coalition of rightist parties. His administration sought to restructure the Ecuadorian economy by reducing government regulations, freeing exchange rates, promoting the export of manufactured items, and encouraging foreign investment. His ability to implement his neoliberal reform program was undermined by an opposition congress and a deteriorating economy. Falling petroleum prices and the subsequent loss of oil revenues after the destruction of the trans-Amazonian oil pipeline forced the administration to adopt austerity measures that quickly alienated labor and opposition political parties. The administration's problems mounted when it failed to control burgeoning budget deficits or to shield the working classes from the impact of the austerity program. Although Febres-Cordero completed his presidential term, his dictatorial style provoked a series of constitutional crises and increased political violence. Despite his mixed presidential legacy, Febres-Cordero continued to be a major player in Ecuadorian politics. He served as mayor of Guayaquil from 1992 to 2000, and as leader of the Social Christian Party, he won a seat in the National Congress.

See alsoEcuador: Since 1830; Guayaquil.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Howard Handelman, "The Dilemma of Ecuadorian Democracy. Part III: The 1983–1984 Presidential Elections," in UFSI Reports 36 (1984).

Ramiro Rivera, El pensamiento de León Febres-Cordero (1986).

David W. Schodt, Ecuador: An Andean Enigma (1987), esp. pp. 157-168.

Additional Bibliography

Isaacs, Anita. Military Rule and Transition in Ecuador, 1972–92. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1993.

Montú far, César. La reconstrucción neoliberal: Febres Cordero o la estatización del neoliberalismo en el Ecuador, 1984–1988. Quito, Ecuador: Abya Yala, 2000.

                           Linda Alexander RodrÍguez