Tiburcio Carías Andino
Encyclopedia
Tiburcio Carías Andino was a Honduran
military man with a reputation as a strongman. He founded the National Party of Honduras
in 1918, and was President of Honduras
twice with the first term beginning in April 1924.
during the revolution
of 1924. In the 1923 elections
, Carías was a candidate for the National Party
against a divided Liberals, but only won a plurality of the vote. The resulting deadlock was followed by disturbances, and elections the following year saw Miguel Paz Barahona
of the National Party elected, although Carías was able to exercise a degree of influence during Barahona's presidency. In 1928
, Carías was the National Party's candidate but lost to Vicente Mejía Colindres
of the Liberal Party. He accepted the result, as the election had been comparatively free and fair, marking a then-rare peaceful transfer of power between the two major parties.
On 1 February 1933 he became President of Honduras again, this time for 16 years. Despite growing unrest and severe economic strains, the 1932 Honduran presidential elections
were relatively peaceful and fair. The peaceful transition of power was surprising because the onset of the Great Depression
had led to the overthrow
of governments elsewhere throughout Latin America
, in nations with much stronger democratic
traditions than those of Honduras. Vicente Mejía
, however, resisted pressure from his own party to manipulate the results to favor the Liberal party
candidate, Ángel Zúñiga. As a result, the National Party
candidate, Carías, won the election by a margin of some 20,000 votes. On 16 November 1932, Carías assumed office, beginning what was to be the longest period of continuous rule by an individual in Honduran history
.
Lacking, however, was any immediate indication that the Carías administration was destined to survive any longer than most of its predecessors. Shortly before Carías's inauguration, dissident
Liberals
, despite the opposition of Vicente Mejía
, had risen in revolt. Carías had taken command of the government forces, obtained arms
from El Salvador
, and crushed the uprising in short order. Most of Carías's first term in office was devoted to efforts to avoid financial collapse, improve the military, engage in a limited program of road building, and lay the foundations for prolonging his own hold on power.
, the fruit industry was further threatened by the outbreak in 1935 of epidemics of Panama disease
and Sigatoka in the banana-producing areas. Within a year, most of the country's production was threatened. Large areas, including most of those around Trujillo, Honduras were abandoned, and thousands of Hondurans were thrown out of work. By 1937 a means of controlling the disease had been found, but many of the affected areas remained out of production because a significant share of the market formerly held by Honduras had shifted to other nations.
Carías had made efforts to improve the military even before he became president. Once in office, both his capacity and his motivation to continue and to expand such improvements increased. He gave special attention to the fledgling air force, founding the Military Aviation School in 1934 and arranging for a United States colonel to serve as its commandant
.
As months passed, Carías moved slowly but steadily to strengthen his hold on power. He gained the support of the banana companies through opposition to strikes and other labor disturbances. He strengthened his position with domestic and foreign financial circles through conservative economic policies. Even in the height of the depression, he continued to make regular payments on the Honduran debt, adhering strictly to the terms of the arrangement with the British bondholders and also satisfying other creditors. Two small loans were paid off completely in 1935.
In 1935, political controls were instituted slowly under Carías. The Communist Party of Honduras
(Partido Comunista de Honduras—PCH) was outlawed, but the Liberal Party continued to function, and even the leaders of a small uprising in 1935 were later offered free air transportation should they wish to return to Honduras from their exile
abroad. At the end of 1935, however, stressing the need for peace and internal order, Carías began to crack down on the opposition press
and political activities. Meanwhile, the National Party, at the president's direction, began a propaganda campaign stressing that only the continuance of Carías in office could give the nation continued peace and order. The constitution, however, prohibited immediate reelection of presidents.
The method chosen by Carías to extend his term of office was to call a constituent assembly that would write a new constitution and select the individual to serve for the first presidential term under that document. Except for the president's desire to perpetuate himself in office, there seemed little reason to alter the nation's basic charter
. Earlier constituent assemblies had written thirteen constitutions (only ten of which had entered into force), and the latest had been adopted in 1924. The handpicked Constituent Assembly of 1936 incorporated thirty of the articles of the 1924 document into the 1936 constitution. The major changes were the elimination of the prohibition on immediate reelection of a president and vice president and the extension of the presidential term from four to six years. Other changes included restoration of the death penalty, reductions in the powers of the legislature, and denial of citizenship and therefore the right to vote
to women. Finally, the new constitution included an article specifying that the incumbent president and vice president would remain in office until 1943. But Carías, by then a virtual dictator, wanted even more, so in 1939 the legislature, now completely controlled by the National Party, obediently extended his term in office by another six years (to 1949).
The Liberals
and other opponents of the government reacted to these changes by attempting to overthrow Carías. Numerous efforts were made in 1936 and 1937, but all were successful only in further weakening the National Party's opponents. By the end of the 1930s, the National Party was the only organized functioning political party in the nation. Numerous opposition leaders had been imprisoned, and some had reportedly been chained and put to work in the streets of Tegucigalpa
. Others, including the leader of the Liberal Party
, Ángel Zúñiga, had fled into exile.
During his presidency, Carías cultivated close relations with his fellow Central American dictators, generals Jorge Ubico
in Guatemala
, Maximiliano Hernández
in El Salvador
, and Anastasio Somoza
in Nicaragua
. Relations were particularly close with Ubico
, who helped Carías reorganize his secret police and also captured and shot the leader of a Honduran uprising who had made the mistake of crossing into Guatemalan territory. Relations with Nicaragua
were somewhat more strained as a result of the continuing border dispute, but Carías and Somoza
managed to keep this dispute under control throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
and El Salvador
deposed Ubico
and Hernández
. For a time, it seemed as if revolutionary contagion might spread to Honduras as well. A plot, involving some military officers as well as opposition civilians, had already been discovered and crushed in late 1943. In May 1944, a group of women began demonstrating outside of the Presidential Palace in Tegucigalpa
, demanding the release of political prisoners. Despite strong government measures, tension continued to grow, and Carías was ultimately forced to release some prisoners. This gesture failed to satisfy the opposition, and anti-government demonstrations continued to spread. In July several demonstrators were killed by troops in San Pedro Sula
. In October a group of exiles invaded Honduras from El Salvador
but were unsuccessful in their efforts to topple the government. The military remained loyal, and Carías continued in office.
Anxious to curb further disorders in the region, the United States began to urge Carías to step aside and allow free elections when his current term in office expired. Carías, who by then was in his early seventies, ultimately yielded to these pressures and announced October 1948 elections, in which he would refrain from being a candidate. He continued, however, to find ways to use his power. The National Party nominated Carías's choice for president--Juan Manuel Gálvez
, who had been minister of war since 1933. Exiled opposition figures were allowed to return to Honduras, and the Liberals
, trying to overcome years of inactivity and division, nominated Ángel Zúñiga, the same individual whom Carías had defeated in 1932. The Liberals rapidly became convinced that they had no chance to win and, charging the government with manipulation of the electoral process, boycotted the elections. This act gave Gálvez
a virtually unopposed victory, and in January 1949, he assumed the presidency.
In 1954
, the incumbent President Gálvez had intended to step aside and allow a free and fair contest. Carías intended to return to the presidency, but his candidacy caused a split in the ruling National Party. The Liberal candidate Ramón Villeda Morales
won a plurality, but short of a majority (a result echoing the elections of 1902 and 1923), resulting in a deadlock. Vice-president Julio Lozano Díaz
seized power in a coup, abruptly ending three decades of stable government in Honduras, of which Carías had been president for 16 of those years.
Evaluating the Carías presidency is a difficult task. His tenure in office provided the nation with a badly needed period of relative peace and order. The country's fiscal situation improved steadily, education improved slightly, the road network expanded, and the armed forces were modernized. At the same time, nascent democratic institutions withered, opposition and labor activities were suppressed, and national interests at times were sacrificed to benefit supporters and relatives of Carías or major foreign interests.
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
military man with a reputation as a strongman. He founded the National Party of Honduras
National Party of Honduras
The National Party is a centre-right conservative political party in Honduras and the main right-wing political party in the country. Founded in 1902 the PNH is identified with the color blue as its rival the Liberal Party of Honduras , is red. All the democratic elections in Honduras have been...
in 1918, and was President of Honduras
President of Honduras
This page lists the Presidents of Honduras.Colonial Honduras declared its independence from Spain on 15 September 1821. From 5 January 1822 to 1 July 1823, Honduras was part of the First Mexican Empire of Agustín de Iturbide....
twice with the first term beginning in April 1924.
Becoming President
Carías became a generalGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
during the revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
of 1924. In the 1923 elections
Honduran general election, 1923
General elections were held in Honduras between 27 and 29 October 1923. Tiburcio Carías Andino won the presidential election with 47.1% of the vote. However, as no candidate had received an absolute majority in the public vote, Congress would vote on the candidates. However, Congress did not meet...
, Carías was a candidate for the National Party
National Party of Honduras
The National Party is a centre-right conservative political party in Honduras and the main right-wing political party in the country. Founded in 1902 the PNH is identified with the color blue as its rival the Liberal Party of Honduras , is red. All the democratic elections in Honduras have been...
against a divided Liberals, but only won a plurality of the vote. The resulting deadlock was followed by disturbances, and elections the following year saw Miguel Paz Barahona
Miguel Paz Barahona
Miguel Paz Barahona was President of Honduras from 1 February 1925 to 1 February 1929. Barahona was a member of the National Party of Honduras .The PNH nominated Barahona as their presidential candidate in 1924...
of the National Party elected, although Carías was able to exercise a degree of influence during Barahona's presidency. In 1928
Honduran general election, 1928
A general election was held in Honduras on 28 October 1928. Voters went to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic and a new Congress....
, Carías was the National Party's candidate but lost to Vicente Mejía Colindres
Vicente Mejía Colindres
Vicente Mejía Colindres was President of Honduras between 16 September and 5 October 1919; and again between 1 February 1929 and 1 February 1933. A successful beginning to his presidency was dampened by the effects of the 1929 economic depression...
of the Liberal Party. He accepted the result, as the election had been comparatively free and fair, marking a then-rare peaceful transfer of power between the two major parties.
On 1 February 1933 he became President of Honduras again, this time for 16 years. Despite growing unrest and severe economic strains, the 1932 Honduran presidential elections
Honduran general election, 1932
A general election was held in Honduras on 28 October 1932. Voters went to the polls to elect a new President of the Republic and a new Congress.“President Vicente Mejía Colindres resisted pressure from his own party to manipulate the results to favor the Liberal Party of Honduras candidate, Angel...
were relatively peaceful and fair. The peaceful transition of power was surprising because the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
had led to the overthrow
Overthrow
Overthrow may refer to:* Overthrow, a change in government, often achieved by force or through a coup.**The 5th October Overthrow, or Bulldozer Revolution, the events of 2000 that led to the downfall of Slobodan Milošević in the former Yugoslavia....
of governments elsewhere throughout Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, in nations with much stronger democratic
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
traditions than those of Honduras. Vicente Mejía
Vicente Mejía Colindres
Vicente Mejía Colindres was President of Honduras between 16 September and 5 October 1919; and again between 1 February 1929 and 1 February 1933. A successful beginning to his presidency was dampened by the effects of the 1929 economic depression...
, however, resisted pressure from his own party to manipulate the results to favor the Liberal party
Liberal Party of Honduras
The Liberal Party of Honduras is a centre-left liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International...
candidate, Ángel Zúñiga. As a result, the National Party
National Party of Honduras
The National Party is a centre-right conservative political party in Honduras and the main right-wing political party in the country. Founded in 1902 the PNH is identified with the color blue as its rival the Liberal Party of Honduras , is red. All the democratic elections in Honduras have been...
candidate, Carías, won the election by a margin of some 20,000 votes. On 16 November 1932, Carías assumed office, beginning what was to be the longest period of continuous rule by an individual in Honduran history
History of Honduras
Honduras was already occupied by many indigenous peoples when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. The western-central part of Honduras was inhabited by the Lencas, the central north coast by the Tol, the area east of Trujillo by the Pech and the Miskito and Sumo...
.
Lacking, however, was any immediate indication that the Carías administration was destined to survive any longer than most of its predecessors. Shortly before Carías's inauguration, dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
Liberals
Liberal Party of Honduras
The Liberal Party of Honduras is a centre-left liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International...
, despite the opposition of Vicente Mejía
Vicente Mejía Colindres
Vicente Mejía Colindres was President of Honduras between 16 September and 5 October 1919; and again between 1 February 1929 and 1 February 1933. A successful beginning to his presidency was dampened by the effects of the 1929 economic depression...
, had risen in revolt. Carías had taken command of the government forces, obtained arms
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
from El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, and crushed the uprising in short order. Most of Carías's first term in office was devoted to efforts to avoid financial collapse, improve the military, engage in a limited program of road building, and lay the foundations for prolonging his own hold on power.
1930s
The economic situation remained extremely bad throughout the 1930s. In addition to the dramatic drop in banana exports caused by the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the fruit industry was further threatened by the outbreak in 1935 of epidemics of Panama disease
Panama disease
Panama disease, a Fusarium wilt, is a banana plant disease caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The fungus attacks the roots of the banana plant. The disease is resistant to fungicide and cannot be controlled chemically.-History:...
and Sigatoka in the banana-producing areas. Within a year, most of the country's production was threatened. Large areas, including most of those around Trujillo, Honduras were abandoned, and thousands of Hondurans were thrown out of work. By 1937 a means of controlling the disease had been found, but many of the affected areas remained out of production because a significant share of the market formerly held by Honduras had shifted to other nations.
Carías had made efforts to improve the military even before he became president. Once in office, both his capacity and his motivation to continue and to expand such improvements increased. He gave special attention to the fledgling air force, founding the Military Aviation School in 1934 and arranging for a United States colonel to serve as its commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
.
As months passed, Carías moved slowly but steadily to strengthen his hold on power. He gained the support of the banana companies through opposition to strikes and other labor disturbances. He strengthened his position with domestic and foreign financial circles through conservative economic policies. Even in the height of the depression, he continued to make regular payments on the Honduran debt, adhering strictly to the terms of the arrangement with the British bondholders and also satisfying other creditors. Two small loans were paid off completely in 1935.
In 1935, political controls were instituted slowly under Carías. The Communist Party of Honduras
Communist Party of Honduras
Communist Party of Honduras was a communist party in Honduras. PCH was founded on October 10, 1954. It had its roots in the Honduran Revolutionary Democratic Party....
(Partido Comunista de Honduras—PCH) was outlawed, but the Liberal Party continued to function, and even the leaders of a small uprising in 1935 were later offered free air transportation should they wish to return to Honduras from their exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
abroad. At the end of 1935, however, stressing the need for peace and internal order, Carías began to crack down on the opposition press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
and political activities. Meanwhile, the National Party, at the president's direction, began a propaganda campaign stressing that only the continuance of Carías in office could give the nation continued peace and order. The constitution, however, prohibited immediate reelection of presidents.
The method chosen by Carías to extend his term of office was to call a constituent assembly that would write a new constitution and select the individual to serve for the first presidential term under that document. Except for the president's desire to perpetuate himself in office, there seemed little reason to alter the nation's basic charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
. Earlier constituent assemblies had written thirteen constitutions (only ten of which had entered into force), and the latest had been adopted in 1924. The handpicked Constituent Assembly of 1936 incorporated thirty of the articles of the 1924 document into the 1936 constitution. The major changes were the elimination of the prohibition on immediate reelection of a president and vice president and the extension of the presidential term from four to six years. Other changes included restoration of the death penalty, reductions in the powers of the legislature, and denial of citizenship and therefore the right to vote
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
to women. Finally, the new constitution included an article specifying that the incumbent president and vice president would remain in office until 1943. But Carías, by then a virtual dictator, wanted even more, so in 1939 the legislature, now completely controlled by the National Party, obediently extended his term in office by another six years (to 1949).
The Liberals
Liberal Party of Honduras
The Liberal Party of Honduras is a centre-left liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International...
and other opponents of the government reacted to these changes by attempting to overthrow Carías. Numerous efforts were made in 1936 and 1937, but all were successful only in further weakening the National Party's opponents. By the end of the 1930s, the National Party was the only organized functioning political party in the nation. Numerous opposition leaders had been imprisoned, and some had reportedly been chained and put to work in the streets of Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
. Others, including the leader of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Honduras
The Liberal Party of Honduras is a centre-left liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International...
, Ángel Zúñiga, had fled into exile.
During his presidency, Carías cultivated close relations with his fellow Central American dictators, generals Jorge Ubico
Jorge Ubico
Jorge Ubico y Castañeda was a Guatemalan dictator who held the title of President of Guatemala from 14 February 1931 to 4 July 1944.-Early years:...
in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Maximiliano Hernández
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez was the President of El Salvador from 1931 to 1944...
in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, and Anastasio Somoza
Anastasio Somoza García
Anastasio Somoza García was officially the President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1937 to 1 May 1947 and from 21 May 1950 to 29 September 1956, but ruled effectively as dictator from 1936 until his assassination.-Biography:Somoza was born in San Marcos, Carazo Department in Nicaragua, the son of...
in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
. Relations were particularly close with Ubico
Jorge Ubico
Jorge Ubico y Castañeda was a Guatemalan dictator who held the title of President of Guatemala from 14 February 1931 to 4 July 1944.-Early years:...
, who helped Carías reorganize his secret police and also captured and shot the leader of a Honduran uprising who had made the mistake of crossing into Guatemalan territory. Relations with Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
were somewhat more strained as a result of the continuing border dispute, but Carías and Somoza
Anastasio Somoza García
Anastasio Somoza García was officially the President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1937 to 1 May 1947 and from 21 May 1950 to 29 September 1956, but ruled effectively as dictator from 1936 until his assassination.-Biography:Somoza was born in San Marcos, Carazo Department in Nicaragua, the son of...
managed to keep this dispute under control throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
1940s
The value of these ties became somewhat questionable in 1944 when popular revolts in GuatemalaGuatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
deposed Ubico
Jorge Ubico
Jorge Ubico y Castañeda was a Guatemalan dictator who held the title of President of Guatemala from 14 February 1931 to 4 July 1944.-Early years:...
and Hernández
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
Maximiliano Hernández Martínez was the President of El Salvador from 1931 to 1944...
. For a time, it seemed as if revolutionary contagion might spread to Honduras as well. A plot, involving some military officers as well as opposition civilians, had already been discovered and crushed in late 1943. In May 1944, a group of women began demonstrating outside of the Presidential Palace in Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , and commonly referred as Tegus , is the capital of Honduras and seat of government of the Republic, along with its twin sister Comayagüela. Founded on September 29, 1578 by the Spanish, it became the country's capital on October 30, 1880 under President Marco Aurelio Soto...
, demanding the release of political prisoners. Despite strong government measures, tension continued to grow, and Carías was ultimately forced to release some prisoners. This gesture failed to satisfy the opposition, and anti-government demonstrations continued to spread. In July several demonstrators were killed by troops in San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
. In October a group of exiles invaded Honduras from El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
but were unsuccessful in their efforts to topple the government. The military remained loyal, and Carías continued in office.
Anxious to curb further disorders in the region, the United States began to urge Carías to step aside and allow free elections when his current term in office expired. Carías, who by then was in his early seventies, ultimately yielded to these pressures and announced October 1948 elections, in which he would refrain from being a candidate. He continued, however, to find ways to use his power. The National Party nominated Carías's choice for president--Juan Manuel Gálvez
Juan Manuel Gálvez
Juan Manuel Gálvez Durón was President of Honduras from 1 January 1949 until 5 December 1954. His election, for the National Party of Honduras , ended the 16-year dictatorship of Tiburcio Carías Andino....
, who had been minister of war since 1933. Exiled opposition figures were allowed to return to Honduras, and the Liberals
Liberal Party of Honduras
The Liberal Party of Honduras is a centre-left liberal political party in Honduras that was founded in 1891. The party is a member of the Liberal International...
, trying to overcome years of inactivity and division, nominated Ángel Zúñiga, the same individual whom Carías had defeated in 1932. The Liberals rapidly became convinced that they had no chance to win and, charging the government with manipulation of the electoral process, boycotted the elections. This act gave Gálvez
Juan Manuel Gálvez
Juan Manuel Gálvez Durón was President of Honduras from 1 January 1949 until 5 December 1954. His election, for the National Party of Honduras , ended the 16-year dictatorship of Tiburcio Carías Andino....
a virtually unopposed victory, and in January 1949, he assumed the presidency.
In 1954
Honduran general election, 1954
A general election was held in Honduras on 10 October 1954. The elections took place, with relative honesty.The split among the Nationalists enabled the Liberals to win a plurality in the national elections, but without an absolute majority the election was thrown into the National Congress, where...
, the incumbent President Gálvez had intended to step aside and allow a free and fair contest. Carías intended to return to the presidency, but his candidacy caused a split in the ruling National Party. The Liberal candidate Ramón Villeda Morales
Ramón Villeda Morales
Ramón Villeda Morales is a municipality in the Honduran department of Gracias a Dios....
won a plurality, but short of a majority (a result echoing the elections of 1902 and 1923), resulting in a deadlock. Vice-president Julio Lozano Díaz
Julio Lozano Díaz
Julio Lozano Díaz , was first vice-president and then president of Honduras, from 5 December 1954 until 21 October 1956.Previously he was an accountant for the Rosario Mining Company....
seized power in a coup, abruptly ending three decades of stable government in Honduras, of which Carías had been president for 16 of those years.
Evaluating the Carías presidency is a difficult task. His tenure in office provided the nation with a badly needed period of relative peace and order. The country's fiscal situation improved steadily, education improved slightly, the road network expanded, and the armed forces were modernized. At the same time, nascent democratic institutions withered, opposition and labor activities were suppressed, and national interests at times were sacrificed to benefit supporters and relatives of Carías or major foreign interests.