Rosalía Arteaga

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Arteaga and the second or maternal family name is Serrano.

Rosalía Arteaga
Arteaga, 2019
39th President of Ecuador
In office 9 February 1997 – 11 February 1997
Preceded by	Abdalá Bucaram
Succeeded by	Fabián Alarcón
Vice President of Ecuador
In office 10 August 1996 – 6 February 1997
President	Abdalá Bucaram
Preceded by	Eduardo Peña
In office 11 February 1997 – 30 March 1998
President	Fabián Alarcón
Succeeded by	Pedro Aguayo Cubillo
Personal details
Born	Lupe Rosalía Arteaga Serrano (1956-12-05) 5 December 1956 Cuenca, Azuay, Ecuador
Political party	Independent Movement for an Authentic Republic (1995–2001)
Other political affiliations	Alfarista Radical Front (before 1995)
Spouse	Pedro Fernández de Córdova Álvarez (divorced)
Residence(s)	Quito, Ecuador
Education	Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador University of Cuenca
Occupation	Lawyer politician writer

Rosalía Arteaga Serrano (born 5 December 1956) is an Ecuadorian politician who served as the country's first female head of state as acting president for a few days in 1997.

Arteaga announced her intention to stand for secretary-general of the United Nations in the 2021 selection, though incumbent António Guterres was ultimately appointed to a second term in office.

Early life and education

Arteaga was born in Cuenca, Ecuador and attended the University of Cuenca.

Presidency

Arteaga became vice president in 1996, following the election of Abdalá Bucaram as president. On 6 February 1997, however, President Bucaram was declared unfit to govern by Congress. Arteaga and congressional leader Fabián Alarcón became locked in a dispute over who should succeed Bucaram since the constitution was vague on the issue. Initially, Alarcón was sworn in with the support of Congress. On 9 February, however, Arteaga, who had insisted that as vice president she should become president, was sworn in instead as Ecuador's first female president. Two days later, however, on 11 February, with the support of Congress and the army, Alarcón was sworn in again, and Arteaga resigned as president and reverted to her post as vice president.

Arteaga continued to clash with Alarcón and resigned from her post as vice president in March 1998. She then ran for president in the elections that were held in May 1998 but received only 3% of the vote.

Post-presidency

Arteaga was secretary-general of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization until 2007 and is a member of the editorial board of the Encyclopædia Britannica. She continues to receive a lifetime pension from the Ecuadorian government of $48.690 annually.

With the support of "Forward", a civil society organization, Arteaga announced her intention to seek the position of secretary-general of the United Nations in the 2021 selection. However, incumbent António Guterres was successfully appointed to a second consecutive term as Secretary-General.