MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ecuador: Three days of mourning after death of former President Rodrigo Borja

Rodrigo Boja was a founder and the main leader of Izquierda Democrática (ID) well into the early 2000s

Former Ecuadorean President Rodrigo Borja Cevallos passed away on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at the age of 90. In response to the loss of one of the 20th century’s most influential political figures, President Daniel Noboa has declared three days of national mourning to be observed from December 19 to 21, with the flag flying at half-mast.

The Ecuadorian government has coordinated with the Borja family to organize a state funeral. Public memorial services were scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. on Friday at the Itchimbía Cultural Center in Quito.

President Noboa has tasked the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Defense with managing the official honors and logistics for the ceremony. “Rodrigo Borja will forever remain in Ecuador's memory. Today, this country honors his legacy,” Noboa posted on social media.

Borja, a jurist and academic, led Ecuador from 1988 to 1992 during a period of critical democratic consolidation. His presidency is remembered for several landmark achievements, including a massive National Indigenous Strike in which he granted 1.7 million hectares of land to native communities. He also championed bilingual education and literacy.

Following the polarized and often authoritarian tenure of his predecessor, León Febres-Cordero, Borja was credited with restoring diplomatic decorum and respecting the independence of the various branches of state.

As a founder of the Izquierda Democrática (ID), Borja transformed the party into a dominant force, remaining its central figure well into the early 2000s.

Born into a lineage that traces back to the House of Borgia (Borja) -being a direct descendant of Pope Alexander VI-, Rodrigo Borja’s rise was defined by intellectual rigor. He worked as a journalist for El Comercio and radio HCJB to fund his studies at the Central University of Ecuador, where he earned a PhD in Jurisprudence.

Though he retired from active politics after his fifth presidential bid in 2002 to focus on his academic work, he remained a moral and intellectual reference point for the nation. While his family has not yet released the specific cause of death, he had been living in retirement for several years due to his advanced age.