Francisco Morales-Bermúdez
Francisco Morales Bermúdez Cerruti (4 October 1921 – 14 July 2022) was a Peruvian general and politician. Bermudez was President of Peru from August 1975 through July 1980.[1][2] He ran for president in 1985, however he only got less than 1% of the vote.
Francisco Morales-Bermúdez Cerruti | |
---|---|
51st President of Peru | |
Armed Forces Revolutionary Government | |
In office 30 August 1975 – 28 July 1980 | |
Prime Minister | Oscar Vargas Prieto Jorge Fernández-Maldonado Guillermo Arbulú Galliani Óscar Molina Pallochia Pedro Richter Prada |
Vice President | Pedro Ritcher Prada |
Preceded by | Juan Velasco Alvarado (President of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Government) |
Succeeded by | Fernando Belaúnde (Constitutional President) |
112th Prime Minister of Peru | |
In office 1 February 1975 – 30 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 – 30 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 |
Personal details | |
Born | Lima, Peru | 4 October 1921
Died | 14 July 2022 Lima, Peru | (aged 100)
Nationality | Peruvian |
Profession | Army General |
At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former Peruvian president.
Early life
Born in Lima in 1921, he is the son of Army Colonel Remigio Morales Bermúdez and grandson of ex-President Remigio Morales Bermúdez. He received most of his education at Lima's Colegio Inmaculada. In 1939, he was accepted to the Escuela Militar de Chorrillos (Chorrillos Military School). After his graduation, he was an important member of the Centro de Altos Estudios Militares (CAEM).
Presidency
Morales Bermúdez led a military coup against General Juan Velasco Alvarado and took over as President of Peru on 29 August 1975, leading the country through one of its worst economic problems. He moved away from the socialist-leaning policies that the country had.
His regime took place in Operation Condor, the Peruvian services working with the Intelligence Battalion 601 in the kidnapping of Argentines in Lima in 1980.[3] Around the end of Morales Bermúdez's tenure, a housing crisis happened.[4]
Criminal charges
Morales Bermúdez was prosecuted by an Italian judge for the forced disappearance of 25 Italian citizens during Operation Condor, a campaign run by the United States government and his dictatorship.[5] On 17 January 2017, the Corte d'Assise in Rome found Morales Bermúdez guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment.[6][7][8]
2021 coup comment
In June 2021, after left wing Pedro Castillo was elected president, Morales Bermúdez said he wanted the country's armed forces to do a coup d'état and removed Castillo from power.[9][10] He believed that the election was stolen from right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori and that the results were not legitimate.[11]
Death
Morales-Bermúdez died on 14 July 2022 in Lima at the age of 100.[12]