Rafael Caldera

Rafael Caldera
Caldera in 1972
President of Venezuela
In office
2 February 1994 – 2 February 1999
Preceded byRamón José Velásquez
Succeeded byHugo Chávez
In office
11 March 1969 – 11 March 1974
Preceded byRaúl Leoni
Succeeded byCarlos Andrés Pérez
Senator for Life
In office
11 March 1974 – 2 February 1994
In office
2 February 1999 – 20 December 1999
President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of Venezuela
In office
1959–1962
Succeeded byManuel Vicente Ledezma
Solicitor General of Venezuela
In office
26 October 1945 – 13 April 1946
Personal details
Born
Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez

(1916-01-24)24 January 1916
San Felipe, Venezuela
Died24 December 2009(2009-12-24) (aged 93)
Caracas, Venezuela
Resting placeEast Cemetery (Venezuela)[1]
Political partyCOPEI
(1946–1993)
National Convergence
(1993–2009)
SpouseAlicia Pietri Montemayor
Children6
Alma materCentral University of Venezuela
OccupationLawyer
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [rafaˈel anˈtonjo kalˈdeɾa roˈðɾiɣes] listen; 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009),[2] twice elected the president of Venezuela, served for two five-year terms (1969–1974 and 1994–1999), becoming the longest serving democratically elected leader to govern the country in the twentieth century.[3] His first term marked the first peaceful transfer of power to the opposition in Venezuela's history.

Widely acknowledged as one of the founders of Venezuela's democratic system,[4] one of the main architects of the 1961 Constitution, and a pioneer of the Christian Democratic movement in Latin America, Caldera helped forge an unprecedented period of civilian democratic rule in a country beleaguered by a history of political violence and military caudillos.[5]

His leadership established Venezuela's reputation as one of the more stable democracies in Latin America during the second half of the twentieth century.[6]

After graduating with a degree in law and political science from Central University of Venezuela in 1939, Caldera embarked on a 70-year-long career that combined political, intellectual and academic activities.

  1. ^ "Sepultados restos del ex presidente Rafael Caldera en cementerio de Caracas". 26 December 2009.
  2. ^ Rafael Caldera at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  3. ^ Rafael Caldera – Cognitio
  4. ^ John D. Martz, "Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador," in Jan Knippers Black, ed. Latin America, Its Problems and Its Promise, 2nd ed. (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1991), 439
  5. ^ Rafael Caldera: President of Venezuela who helped forge an era of democracy and political stability in his country – Independent
  6. ^ "02 Feb 1994 – 02 Feb 1999 – Rafael Caldera Rodríguez – Global Security"