Roberto Eduardo Viola
Roberto Eduardo Viola (born October 13, 1924 in Buenos Aires , † September 30, 1994 ) was the de facto Argentine president from March 29 to December 11, 1981, the executive body of the process of national reorganization .
Due to his relatively short reign he did not set a lot of political accents, essentially he continued the politics of his predecessor Jorge Videla . He saw himself as a pioneer of a gradual transition to democracy , but was replaced by Leopoldo Galtieri after internal squabbles within the junta .
Viola appointed Lorenzo Sigaut Minister of Finance; it became apparent that Sigaut (and his protégé Domingo Cavallo ) were looking for ways to revise some of the actions taken by Videla's Minister, José Alfredo Martínez de Hoz . Sigaut abolished an existing 'floating exchange rate mechanism' and devalued the peso. Argentina was preparing for a recession after a policy of easy money ('plata dulce') had tolerated or promoted inflation. This weakened Viola's position.
Viola was also the victim of intrigue and power games within the armed forces . After Emilio Massera had been deposed as head of the fleet, he looked for a political environment of his own, making use of the forced and unpaid services of political prisoners who were held by the regime in concentration camps.
After the transition to democracy in 1983 (see History of Argentina ), Viola was tried along with eight other members of the military government and, after his conviction, imprisoned until 1992. In 1992 , President Carlos Saul Menem pardoned him by means of a presidential decree.
Web links
- Portrait (spanish)
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Jorge Rafael Videla |
Leader of the Argentine military regime in 1981 |
Carlos Alberto Lacoste |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Viola, Roberto Eduardo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | argentinian dictator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 13, 1924 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Buenos Aires |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 30, 1994 |