Rodrigo Borja Cevallos (19 June 1935 – 18 December 2025) was an Ecuadorian politician, jurist, and academic who served as president of Ecuador from 1988 to 1992. He was also a descendant of the House of Borgia.

His presidency was marked by the implementation of austerity measures to overcome an economic crisis, the disarmament of the guerrilla group ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!, dialogue with Peru to resolve the border conflict, Ecuador's active role in promoting regional integration, and recognition of indigenous nationalities.

Early life

Borja was born in Quito, Ecuador, on 19 June 1935 and grew up in the historic La Chilena neighborhood. He was the son of Luis Felipe Borja del Alcázar and Aurelia Cevallos Gangotena, he is a male-line descendant of Pope Alexander VI through his son Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia.

He studied at the Colegio Pensionado Borja and the Colegio Americano de Quito.

In 1970, he was re-elected to Congress, although he was unable to take up his seat after Congress was suspended a few days later. Borja won the 1988 presidential election with 54% of the vote and broad support from both right-wing and left-wing parties, despite a fierce campaign by his rival, Abdalá Bucaram, in which he was constantly subjected to insults and verbal abuse. The two met again on 26 February 1992, at a drug policy conference.

Under his presidency, the guerrilla-terrorist group ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo! agreed to renounce armed struggle and surrendered its weapons after a process that lasted from 1989 to 1991, and he ordered the release of General Frank Vargas Pazzos, who had attempted a coup in 1986.

In 2007, Borja was appointed Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations. However, he resigned the following year after disagreeing with several regional leaders on the scope of integration, as Borja advocated for a UNASUR with a solid institutional structure and broad powers.

On 29 April 2010, Borja joined the Ecuadorian Academy of Language, occupying seat F.

Personal life and death

In December 1966, he married Carmen Calisto.

He was fond of sports, especially athletics, tennis, and car racing. The government decreed three days of national mourning between 19 and 21 December. The funeral chapel was set up on 19 December in the Crystal Palace in Itchimbía Park in Quito. The funeral took place there the following day, attended by authorities such as Vice President María José Pinto.

Honors

  • Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain, 1989)

References

  • Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)