Richelieu Levoyer

"He displayed an intense work in defense of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ecuador in the Amazonia compared with the surrender of whom on October 26, 1998 subjected our country to the Peruvian claims imposed by force through the null Rio de Janeiro Protocol of January 29, 1942."

General Levoyer ran and was elected to the highest rank at the National Congress (Ecuador's Legislature at that time) as a National Deputy for the 1984–1988 period. He became the driving force behind the Ecuadorian presence in Antarctica and created the Ecuadorian Antarctic Program. He also led the passage of two laws honoring the soldiers of the 1941 and 1981 wars.

General Levoyer was the Southern Front Commander during the Paquisha War between Ecuador and Peru in 1981, where he led 25,000 soldiers. César Augusto Alarcón Costta described his role in the war, saying:

General Levoyer was the Southern Front Commander during the Paquisha War. He later served as Government Minister where he deployed a systematic plan for the destruction of prisons where human rights were being violated. He also proposed the "Return to the Constitution Plan" that ended the 1976–1979 dictatorship. He served as Professor and then Director of the centers of Ecuadorian military studies. He became Director of the School for Improvement of the Ecuadorian Army. He led the creation of the "National Institute of Advanced Studies." He served as Sub-Secretary of Industries focused on developing such productive activity, handmade crafts and tourism.

As Government Minister (1976), General Levoyer organized a political dialogue bringing together popular organizations and new political tendencies. As a result, indigenous people for the first time entered the Palacio de Carondelet, not to pick up the ashes of cigarettes that left behind the so called leaders of Ecuador, but to decide the Nation's future, indigenous peoples who later formed their own organization known as CONAIE and it's political expression, the "Pachakutik political Party" that in XXI century evolved to become the Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement – New Country.

He served as President of OMIDELAC (Organization of Military for the Democracy, the Integration and the Liberation of Latin America and the Caribbean). This organization played an important role in promoting democratic systems in Latin America and, in doing so, developed open and public activities such as to oppose to the Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990). OMIDELAC was invited as an election observer in several Latin American countries.

As a result of the dialogue, General Levoyer announced the "State Law Restructuring Plan". First, Ecuadorian people would choose a Constitution: the old 1945 Constitution (although, reformed) or a new one. The new constitution was passed in 1978. Either ways the indigenous peoples, for the first time in Ecuador's History could vote, be nominated and run to be elected to any office. Besides, it had been promulgated an Electoral Law and other on Political Parties.

Richelieu Levoyer Artieda (June 17, 1930 – December 21, 2015) was an Ecuadorian Army General and politician. He was the son of painter Jorge Levoyer and educator Delia Maria Artieda.