World Leaders Who Resigned or Were Ousted

Lucio Edwin Gutiérrez Borbúa (born March 23, 1957)

He served as President of Ecuador from January 15, 2003 to April 20, 2005.He ran for President in 2002 as the candidate of the January 21 Patriotic Society Party (PSP) and the Pachakutik Movement, on a platform of fighting corruption and reversing neoliberal economic reforms. He defeated the wealthiest man in Ecuador Álvaro Noboa in the second round with 55% of the popular vote.

On April 15, 2005, amid a growing political crisis and protests in Quito against the Government, he declared a state of emergency in Quito and revoked the newly appointed Supreme Court of Justice. This controversial move provoked conflicting reactions. It was considered, in fact, as a dictatorial act. The state of emergency was lifted on April 16, as the State of Emergency was disobeyed by citizens and General Aguas of the army refused to enforce it.

On April 20, 2005, following a week of massive manifestations, the Congress of Ecuador on the grounds that Gutiérrez had abandoned his constitutional duties, voted 60-2 to remove him from office and appointed Vice President Alfredo Palacio to serve as President. At the same time, the Ecuadorian Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas, publicly expressed that they were withdrawing their support for Gutiérrez, who had no option but to leave the Presidential Palace on a helicopter.

Askar Akayevich Akayev (born 10 November 1944)

He served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 1990 until he was overthrown in March 2005 in the Tulip Revolution.

He rose to prominence in the Kyrgyz Communist Party, as head of its Department of Science and Higher Academic Institutions. He became vice-president and then later president of the Kyrgyz Academy of Sciences. He became President of the Kyrgyz Soviet Socialist Republic in 1990. Running unopposed, Akaev won the presidency of independent Kyrgyzstan in 1991 and consolidated power through a presidential referendum in 1994. He was re-elected to his second term in 1995.

Despite a constitutional provision limiting the head of state to two terms in office, Akaev ran for president in 2000. That year the government introduced mandatory Kyrgyz language testing for potential presidential candidates, which served to eliminate twelve of nineteen candidates.

Akaev was victorious with 74 percent of the vote, according to the official tally. However, the exclusion of prominent candidates, the language testing, interference in the electoral process by local and regional authorities, and an “overt” media bias favoring the incumbent stirred controversy.

On 24 March 2005 protesters stormed the presidential compound in Bishkek and seized control of the seat of state power after clashing with riot police during a large opposition rally. Opposition supporters also seized control of key cities and towns in the south to press demands for Akayev to step down.

That day, Akayev fled the country with his family, reportedly escaping first to Kazakhstan and then to Russia. However his formal resignation came April4, 2oo5 when a delegation of members of parliament from Kyrgyzstan met him in Russia.