Andrés Rodríguez (politician)
President of Paraguay | |
|---|---|
| In office February 3, 1989 – August 15, 1993 Provisional to May 15, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Alfredo Stroessner |
| Succeeded by | Juan Carlos Wasmosy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti June 19, 1923 Borja, Guairá, Paraguay |
| Died | April 21, 1997 (aged 73) New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Colorado |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Paraguayan Army |
| Years of service | 1946–1992 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant General (1970–1992) |
Andrés Rodríguez Pedotti (June 19, 1923 – April 21, 1997) was a military officer and politician, being President of Paraguay from February 3, 1989, to August 15, 1993. He led the coup d'état on February 2 and 3, 1989, against the dictator Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda.
1989 coup d'état
Rodríguez had been
However, relations between the two grew increasingly strained in the late 1980s. As the decade wore on, Rodríguez cultivated ties with the "traditionalists" in the long-dominant
Rodríguez gave his answer on the night of February 2 when he launched a violent coup. Rebel troops and tanks surrounded the headquarters of the Presidential Guard in
A couple of weeks following the coup, former interior minister Edgar Ynsfrán told reporters that Rodríguez had begun planning the coup toward the end of December 1988. Ynsfrán had served as interior minister during the most repressive phase of the Stronato, but had switched to supporting Rodríguez and now favored a more humane approach to governance.[3]
Presidency
At the time, Paraguay did not have a vice president. Per the Constitution, if a president died, resigned, or became permanently disabled, a provisional president was to be chosen by Congress and the Council of State within 24 hours. Accordingly, Congress and the Council of State met soon after the coup and designated Rodríguez as provisional president.
Upon taking office, Rodríguez canceled most of Stroessner's most repressive measures, which came as a surprise given his previous closeness to Stroessner.
Over the course of the following week, the military was purged of Stroessner's loyalists, and the commanders of the six rebellious army divisions were promoted to replace them.[3]
As provisional president, Rodríguez dissolved the Chamber of Deputies on February 9 under a provision in the 1967 constitution that allowed the president to dissolve the legislature if he felt it had acted in a manner that distorted the constitutional separation of powers. He issued a decree setting new elections in May, and announced that all non-Communist parties would be allowed to compete. He intended to use this as a tool to purge the militants. This was a remarkable turn in a country where the opposition had been barely tolerated for much of its history, particularly during Stroessner's rule. Indeed, at the time of the coup, the country had only known two years of pluralism in its entire history. A presidential election for the balance of Stroessner's term was also on the same day as the congressional elections. The constitution required new elections within 90 days of a president resigning less than two years into his term, with the winner serving the unexpired portion of the term. Rodríguez ran as the Colorado candidate and was elected with 76 percent of the vote in what was the closest thing the country had seen to a free and fair election up to that time.[6][7]
Soon after the ouster of Stroessner, the Rodríguez government was contacted by representatives of the
End of rule and death
On June 20, 1992, Paraguay adopted a new constitution. It limited the president to a single five-year term, with no possibility of reelection. The ban on reelection retroactively applied to Rodríguez, even though he had promised that he would not run for a full term. Rodríguez called this provision evidence of a lack of confidence in his word, and boycotted the inauguration ceremony.[9] Fears of a coup were only allayed when he signed the new constitution into law on June 22. He stepped down as president on August 15, 1993, the first Paraguayan president in decades to leave office at the end of his term. He was succeeded by Juan Carlos Wasmosy, who like Rodríguez was a member of the Colorado Party.
Rodríguez died in New York City in 1997 after a long battle with cancer.
References
- ^ Tessieri, Enrique (5 June 2008). "La sombra de los Stroessner" [The shadow of the Stroessners]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid.
- ^ a b Calvin Sims (April 22, 1997). "Andres Rodriguez Dies at 72; Overthrew Paraguay Dictator". The New York Times.
- ^ LCCN 89600299.
- ^ "El falso yeso de Rodríguez y otras anécdotas del golpe" [Rodriguez's fake cast and other anecdotes of the coup]. Última Hora (in Spanish). 3 February 2019.
- ^ Bernstein, Adam (August 17, 2006). "Alfredo Stroessner; Paraguayan Dictator". The Washington Post.
- ^ History Library of Congress Country Studies
- LCCN 89600299.
- . pp 289. 293.
- ^ Cesar Insfran (June 20, 1992). "Paraguay celebrates new constitution". United Press International.
External links
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