Francisco Morales Bermúdez | |
|---|---|
 Morales Bermúdez in 1975 | |
| 51stPresident of Peru | |
| 2ndPresident of the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces | |
| In office 29 August 1975 – 28 July 1980 | |
| Prime Minister |
|
| Preceded by | Juan Velasco Alvarado |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Belaúnde (as constitutional president) |
| Prime Minister of Peru | |
| In office 1 February 1975 – 29 August 1975 | |
| President | Juan Velasco Alvarado |
| Preceded by | Luis Edgardo Mercado Jarrín |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Vargas Prieto |
| Minister of War | |
| In office 1 February 1975 – 29 August 1975 | |
| President | Juan Velasco Alvarado |
| Preceded by | Luis Edgardo Mercado Jarrín |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Vargas Prieto |
| General Commander of the Peruvian Army | |
| In office 1 February 1975 – 29 August 1975 | |
| President | Juan Velasco Alvarado |
| Preceded by | Luis Edgardo Mercado Jarrín |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Vargas Prieto |
| Minister of Economy and Finance | |
| In office 13 June 1969 – 2 January 1974 | |
| President | Juan Velasco Alvarado |
| Preceded by | Ángel Valdivia Morriberon (Minister of Finance and Commerce) |
| Succeeded by | Guillermo Marcó del Pont |
| Minister of Finance and Commerce | |
| In office 20 March 1968 – 21 May 1968 | |
| President | Fernando Belaúnde |
| Preceded by | Raúl Ferrero Rebagliati |
| Succeeded by | Manuel Ulloa Elías |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francisco Regimio Morales Bermúdez Cerruti (1921-10-04)4 October 1921 Lima, Peru |
| Died | 14 July 2022(2022-07-14) (aged 100) Miraflores, Lima, Peru |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives | Remigio Morales Bermúdez (grandfather) |
| Profession | Army general |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Peru |
| Branch/service |  Peruvian Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1980 |
| Rank | General |
Francisco Remigio Morales Bermúdez Cerruti (4 October 1921 – 14 July 2022) was a Peruvian politician and general who was thede facto[1]President of Peru (2nd President of theRevolutionary Government of the Armed Forces) between 1975 and 1980, after deposing his predecessor, GeneralJuan Velasco.[2][3] Unable to control the political and economic troubles that the nation faced, he was forced to return power to civilian rule, marking the end of the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces installed by acoup d'état in 1968.[4]
Morales Bermúdez was born inLima on October 4th 1921.[5] He was the son of Army Colonel Remigio Morales Bermúdez and grandson of ex-PresidentRemigio Morales Bermúdez. His grandfather and all his original family were from the old Peruvian department ofTarapacá, which is now part ofChile.
He received most of his education at Lima'sColegio de la Inmaculada. In 1939, he was accepted into theEscuela Militar de Chorrillos (Chorrillos Military School). After his graduation, he was an important member of theCentro de Altos Estudios Militares (Center for Advanced Military Studies).[citation needed]
Morales Bermúdez achieved the rank ofbrigadier general and was appointed to his first political post in 1968 asMinister of Economy and Finance in the administration ofFernando Belaúnde.[6] Internal problems in government forced him to resign after two months.
In 1968, after Belaúnde had been deposed by acoup, the military government led by General Juan Velasco asked him to return to the post of Minister of Economy and Finance. In 1974, he resigned again, this time because he was appointedCommander-in-Chief of thePeruvian Army. In 1975, he was appointed to be both Velasco's prime minister and minister of war.[citation needed]
With President Velasco's health deteriorating, Morales Bermúdez led amilitary coup against Velasco and took over asPresident of Peru on 29 August 1975, leading the country through one of its most severeeconomic crises. He diverged from therevolutionary nationalist-leaning tendencies of the first phase (1968–1975) of the Peruvian Revolution. His regime participated inOperation Condor, with Peruvian forces collaborating with theIntelligence Battalion 601 in the kidnapping ofArgentines inLima in 1980.[7] Around the end of Morales Bermúdez's tenure, a housing crisis emerged which started theLost Decade.[8] Morales Bermúdez, politically pressured from all sides, failed in enacting successful political and economic reform.
AConstituent Assembly convened by the Morales Bermudez administration was created in 1978, which replaced the 1933 Constitution enacted duringÓscar R. Benavides's presidency. Afterelections were held in 1980, he returned power over to the first democratically elected government after 12 years of military rule, headed by PresidentFernando Belaúnde.[citation needed]
After leaving office, Morales Bermúdez kept a relatively low profile in Peruvian politics, making sporadic speeches regarding the situation of thePeruvian army.[citation needed]
In1985, he made an unsuccessful run for the presidency, obtaining a fraction of one percent of the vote.[citation needed]
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Morales Bermúdez was prosecuted by Italian judge Luisianna Figliolia for theforced disappearance of 25 Italian citizens in Peru duringOperation Condor, a campaign backed by the United States government of political repression orchestrated byright-wing South Americandictatorships during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.[9] On 17 January 2017, theCorte d'Assise inRome found Morales Bermúdez guilty and sentenced him tolife imprisonmentin absentia.[10][11][12]
On 16 June 2021, Morales Bermúdez was among 63 former Peruvian military officials who signed a letter calling on the Peruvian armed forces to "...according to what is established in Article 46 of theour Constitution, the Armed Forces would have the right to non-obedience and therefore to disavow as President and Supreme Chief of the Armed Forces and National Police a person who has been appointed by violating the Constitution and Laws of our country, being able to appeal to theCongress of the Republic to provide a democratic solution in accordance with the Law" in response to the electionthat month of President-electPedro Castillo, the target of unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud by his opponentKeiko Fujimori.[13] TheMinistry of Defense of Peru promptly issued a release where it clarified that this letter “does not represent the Armed Forces.”[14]
Morales Bermúdezturned 100 on 4 October 2021,[15] and died at a hospital in theMiraflores District of Lima on 14 July 2022.[16][17] At the time of his death, he was theoldest living state leader.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister ofPeru 1 February 1975 – 30 August 1975 | Succeeded by Óscar Vargas Prieto |
| Preceded by | President of Peru (2nd President of the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces) 29 August 1975 – 28 July 1980 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by Gral. Edgardo Mercado Jarrín | Commander-in-Chief of the Army 1 February 1975 – 30 August 1975 | Succeeded by Gral. Óscar Vargas Prieto |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
