Arnulfo Arias

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid (August 15, 1901 – August 10, 1988 in Miami, Florida) was president of Panama on three occasions: 1940–41, 1949–51, and for two weeks in October 1968. Each of these three presidential mandates ended with his being deposed by military coups.

Contents 1 Origins 2 Studies 3 Political Life 4 Death 5 Enlace externo

[edit] Origins

Born the 15 of August of 1901 in the City of Penonomé, in the district of los Forasteros of the community of San Juan, Province of Coclé. He was born to one of the main families of the country. He wrote his first letters with the French Christian Brothers in his native city.

[edit] Studies

The secondary studies were in New York and later in Chicago and Harvard where he studied Medicine, obtaining the title of Medicine Doctor and Surgery. Later, he specialized in Psychiatry, Obstetrics and Endocrinology. In 1925, he returned and headed the nationalistic organization Patriotic Communal Action, with base in the United States, that in 1931 a coup d'etat against the president initiated by Florencio Harmodio Arosemena, managed to overthrow him and impose [[Ricardo J. Alfaro].

[edit] Political Life

A year later, he helped his older brother, Harmodio Arias Madrid, to obtain the presidency (1932-1936).

During the Arias government, Harmodio, his brother occupied the Public Secretariat of Agriculture and Works. In 1936, Juan Demóstenes Arosemena named Extraordinary Envoy and Minister Plenipotenciario before the governments of England, France, Sweden and Denmark, where it remained until 1939. Also delegate before Society of the Nations. On return to the country, he was elected President of the Republic in 1940, by an ample margin of votes, as soon as the competing candidate Ricardo J. Alfaro retired of the fight by the actions of violence against his followers in that campaign. Shortly before Aryan, he presented his famous Panameñista doctrine in which he rejected foreign interventionism and raised the nationalized values.

During the first year of government he made an important reformist and modernization work, that included: the Promulgation of the Constitution of 1941; the creation of the Box of the Social Insurance; foundation of the Farming and Industrial Bank, nationalization of the retail trade; regulation of the exercise of the law; of the Banks, Comercio; creation of the Familiar patrimony; the vote to the woman was granted to him; paper money was emitted thanks the creation of a Central bank. Its opposition to the exigencies of the United States, in the threshold of World war II, as well as the dissatisfaction of some sectors to internal it, lead to his overthrow in October of 1941.

A Harvard-trained physician, he led the coup that deposed President Florencio Harmodio Arosemena in 1931. He subsequently served in cabinet and diplomatic posts. In 1940, he was elected president by an unprecedented majority. He jailed dissidents, disenfranchised the non-Spanish-speaking population, and expressed an allegiance with the Axis powers of World War II. He was ousted in October 1941, in a coup supported by the United States. Reelected president in 1949, he was deposed in May, 1951, after organizing his own secret police and suspending the constitution. He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1964, then won election in 1968 as the standard-bearer of a five-party coalition. Taking office in October, he maneuvered to gain control of the national assembly and the supreme court and to restructure the command of the national guard. After only 11 days as president, he was ousted by national guard officers. In 1984, he again ran for the presidency but was defeated at the polls in a fraudulent election controlled by Manuel Noriega, who favored government supported candidate Nicolas Ardito Barletta. Due to this fraud --which claimed Barletta won by 1,700 votes--, Barletta was nicknamed fraudito (little fraud), in reference to his second name Ardito.

His nationalist program and ties with fascist states in Europe discomforted the United States. In Germany some friends called him the "Sturmbahnfuhrer der Mittelamerika", for his ideas in line with present European policies in his Panameñism nationalist doctrine and Acción Comunal movement. He also used the swastika and fasces as symbols, in coincidence with European fascists, this movement was proposed by Ramón Mora and Manuel C. Galvez Berrocal.

The Arnulfista Party, founded in 1990, was named in homage to him. His widow, Mireya Moscoso, representing that party, was elected president of Panama in 1999. In 2005 it was renamed to Panameñista Party, which represents Aria's vocation for nationalism.

[edit] Death

He died the 10 of August of 1988 in Miami, Florida, the United States of America, due to old age. Its body was transferred to Panama city, where he was buried in the Cemetery Garden of Peace located in [city of Panama]]. His burial 15 of August of 1988 was an act of protest against the Military Dictatorship General Manuel Antonio Noriega that months later, would fall into the hands of the United States of America 20 of December of 1989, in a Military Invasion to the country. There are many monuments, schools, and avenues dedicated to his political work.

[edit] Enlace externo

* [[1]] * [[2]] 

Preceded by: Augusto Samuel Boyd (acting)	President of Panama 1940–1941	Succeeded by: Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango
Preceded by: Roberto Francisco Chiari Remón	President of Panama 1949–1951	Succeeded by: Alcibíades Arosemena
Preceded by: Marco Aurelio Robles Méndez	President of Panama October 1, 1968–October 11, 1968	Succeeded by: José María Pinilla Fábrega