Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado ( Spanish pronunciation: [rafaˈel βiˈsente koˈre.a ðelˈɣaðo] ; born 6 April 1963) is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as the 45th president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation until 2017, Correa is a democratic socialist and his administration focused on the implementation of left-wing policies. Internationally, he served as president pro tempore of the UNASUR . Since 2017, he has been living with his family in Belgium . Born to a lower middle-class family in Guayaquil , Correa studied economics at the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil , the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) , and the University of Illinois , where he received his PhD. Returning to Ecuador, in 2005 he became the Minister for the Economy under President Alfredo Palacio , successfully lobbying Congress for increased spending on health and education projects. Correa won the presidency in the 2006 gen