Back رفائيل كالديرا Arabic رفائيل كالديرا ARZ Rafael Caldera Aymara Рафаэль Кальдэра Byelorussian Rafael Caldera Catalan Rafael Caldera Czech Rafael Caldera Danish Rafael Caldera German Rafael Caldera Esperanto Rafael Caldera Spanish
 | The article's lead section may need to be rewritten. (April 2022) |
Rafael Caldera | |
|---|---|
 Caldera in 1979 | |
| 46th and 51st President of Venezuela | |
| In office 2 February 1994 – 2 February 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Ramón José Velásquez (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Hugo Chávez |
| In office 11 March 1969 – 11 March 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Raúl Leoni |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Andrés Pérez |
| Senator for Life | |
| In office 2 February 1999 – 20 December 1999 | |
| In office 11 March 1974 – 2 February 1994 | |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of Venezuela | |
| In office 1959–1962 | |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Vicente Ledezma |
| Solicitor General of Venezuela | |
| In office 26 October 1945 – 13 April 1946 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez 24 January 1916 San Felipe, Venezuela |
| Died | 24 December 2009 (aged 93) Caracas, Venezuela |
| Resting place | East Cemetery[1] |
| Political party | COPEI (1946–1993) National Convergence (1993–2009) |
| Spouse | Alicia Pietri Montemayor |
| Children |
|
| Alma mater | Central University of Venezuela |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez (Spanish pronunciation: [rafaˈel anˈtonjo kalˈdeɾa roˈðɾiɣes] ⓘ; 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009)[2] was a Venezuelan politician and academician who was the 46th and 51st president of Venezuela from 1969 to 1974 and again from 1994 to 1999, thus becoming the longest serving democratically elected politician to govern the country in the twentieth century.[3]
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 was President during the second period of civilian democratic rule in a country beleaguered by a history of political violence and military caudillos.[5]
His leadership helped to establish Venezuela's reputation as one of the more stable democracies in Latin America during the second half of the twentieth century.[6]
He is also remembered as the President who pardoned Hugo Chávez in December 1994, enabling him to gain freedom from prison and later on to run for the Presidency, which he achieved in 1998.
- ^ "Sepultados restos del ex presidente Rafael Caldera en cementerio de Caracas". 26 December 2009.
- ^ Rafael Caldera at the Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ Rafael Caldera – Cognitio
- ^ 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
- ^ Rafael Caldera: President of Venezuela who helped forge an era of democracy and political stability in his country – Independent
- ^ "02 Feb 1994 – 02 Feb 1999 – Rafael Caldera Rodríguez – Global Security"