Peru Ex-President Francisco Morales Bermudez Who Oversaw Country's Return to Democracy Dies

Former Peru President Francisco Morales Bermudez, an army general who oversaw the return of democracy in the country, has died at age 100, his family announced Friday.

After General Juan Velasco led a bloodless coup in 1968, Peru was expected to be under military dictatorship for 20 or 30 years. However, when Velasco's successor, Morales Bermudez, took over, he began transitioning the country back to a civilian government.

Remigio Morales, the son of the former president, told the Associated Press that his father died in a hospital on Thursday night due to complications with his old age. His family is currently holding funeral ceremonies at a local church near his home.

Morales Bermudez previously joined the coup led by Velasco and ousted the democratically elected President Fernando Belaunde in 1968. It led to the exodus of various individuals, including politicians and journalists, from the country.

Morales Bermudez replaced Velasco in August 1975. However, instead of the usual persecution of dissidents and oppression usually associated with South American military dictatorships, one of his first acts as president was allowing all deported political leaders and journalists back to Peru.

Francisco Morales Bermudez Goals as Peru President

His prime goals as president became economic recovery and that Peru must return to a civilian government by 1980. He then had Peru hold free and fair elections, which saw Belaunde re-elected as president 12 years after the military coup which ousted him.

Morales Bermudez served twice as an economic minister under Velasco's government, which saw various failures, from a failed agrarian reform to nationalizing industry. Velasco formed closer ties with the Soviet Union during the Cold War. However, Morales Bermudez chose to move away from his predecessor's policies and embraced foreign capital.

In an interview with Peru's weekly news magazine Caretas, the former president said that several generals believed the military government would last a long time. However, he argued that this was impossible as he said: "Power wears out. It wears out and destroys."

Under Francisco Morales Bermudez, Peru increased relations with the United States and their more right-wing neighbors.

Former Peru President Francisco Morales Bermudez Got Involved in Controversies

Like all world leaders, Francisco Morales Bermudez also had his fair share of controversies, like his alleged involvement in Plan Condor, which was initiated between various South American dictators.

Italian courts sentenced him, along with other South American dictators, to life imprisonment during a trial in absentia. This was for the death of 43 Latin Americans of Italian heritage who were killed during a crackdown in the region called Plan Condor.

According to ABC News, Plan Condor was a secret alliance between South American dictatorships between 1970 and 1980, where military leaders from these countries cooperated in persecuting or killing each other's dissidents. It was led by Chile's infamous dictator, Augusto Pinochet.

Morales Bermudez has long denied involvement in the plot, though he did admit sending several Peruvian socialists to Argentina to face prosecution in 1978.

At that time, the former president and military leader claimed he wanted to avoid turmoil as he was preparing for Peru's inevitable return to democracy.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Italian Judge Requests Extradition of Bermudez in Killing of 25 Italians - From AP Archive