SIXTO DURáN BALLéN

'Sixto Durán Ballén Cordovez' (born July 14, 1921 in Boston) is an Ecuadorian (U.S.-born) political figure and architect. He served as president of Ecuador between 1992 and 1996.He served as congressman in 1984 and again in 1998. As of 2007, Durán Ballén has the distinction of being the last Ecuadorian president to serve out a complete 4-year term. During his time as president he actively pursued structural reform to modernize the Ecuadorian state and cut down wasteful bureaucratic spending. The result was a significant reduction of government deficits and a thriving private sector. Durán Ballén also led Ecuador into membership in the WTO which had a significant impact on the country's political institutions and export competitiveness. In 1995 Durán Ballén proved to be one of Ecuador's most successful war-time leaders when his determined leadership united a divided country under the theme "Ni un paso atras" which means not a single step backwards during the Cenepa War. His term was characterized by continued political stalemate with a congress led by the Christian Democrat party. During his term there were some cases of corruption indictments in cases such as "Flores y Miel" ("Flowers and Honey") and the impeachment of his Vice-president Alberto Dahik for allegedly using public funds illicitly. However Durán Ballén was never directly a part of these scandals and he is remembered for being one of the most honest politicians in the history of modern Ecuadorian politics.