Juan María Bordaberry
Encyclopedia
Juan María Bordaberry Arocena (17 June 1928 – 17 July 2011) was a Uruguayan
politician and cattle rancher, who first served as President from 1972 until 1976, including as a dictator from 1973 until his ouster in a 1976 coup. He came to office following the Presidential elections of late 1971.
In 1973, Bordaberry dissolved the General Assembly
and was widely regarded as ruling by decree as a military-sponsored dictator until disagreements with the military led to his being overthrown before his original term of office had expired. On November 17, 2006 he was arrested in a case involving four deaths, including two of members of the General Assembly during the period of civilian-military rule in the 1970s.
, Uruguay's capital. Juan María Bordaberry's father was Domingo Bordaberry
, who served in the Senate and in Ruralist leadership, and he was the heir to one of the largest ranches in the country. Initially, Juan María Bordaberry belonged to the National Party
, popularly known as the , and was elected to the Senate on the Blanco ticket. In 1964, however, he assumed the leadership of (Spanish
for "National Rural Action League"), and in 1969 joined the Colorado Party
.
, where he sat from 1969 to 1971 as agriculture minister in the government of President Jorge Pacheco
, having had a long association with rural affairs (see Domingo Bordaberry
).
Before and after his period of Presidential office, he was identified with schemes for agricultural improvement; his Agriculture minister was Benito Medero
. In personal terms, one of Bordaberry's actions which proved in hindsight to have been disadvantageous was his appointment of Jorge Sapelli
as Vice President of Uruguay
, given the latter's resignation and public repudiation of him in 1973. In 1973, the military commanders threatened to remove him from power unless he agreed to be the figurehead leader of a coup d'état. Bordaberry gave in; on June 27, 1973 he dissolved Congress and suspended the Constitution
. For the next three years, he ruled by decree with the assistance of a National Security Council ("COSENA").
, already serving in the government and a figure at first thought to be more accommodating to their wishes, ousted Bordaberry from office. The military claimed, whether accurately or not, that Bordaberry wanted to dissolve permanently the political parties and set up a corporatist state according to a pattern with little precedent in Uruguayan history. Bordaberry's anticipated 5-year term of office, 1972–77, was thus curtailed by the military. Bordaberry then returned to his ranch.
, Minister for Tourism and Industry in the government of Jorge Batlle. Another son, Santiago, is a rural affairs activist.
. He was arrested in connection with the 1976 assassination of two legislators, Senator Zelmar Michelini
of the Christian Democratic Party and House leader Héctor Gutiérrez
of the National Party
. The assassinations took place in Buenos Aires
but the prosecution argued they had been part of Operation Condor
, in which the military regimes of Uruguay and Argentina
coordinated actions against dissidents. Timbal ruled that since the killings took place outside Uruguay, they were not covered by an amnesty
enacted after the return of civilian rule in 1985.
On 23 January 2007, he was hospitalized in Montevideo
with serious respiratory problems. Because of his health problems the judge Paublo Eguern ordered that Bordaberry be transferred to house arrest. From 27 January he served his prison term in the house of one of his sons in Montevideo. On 1 June 2007, an Appellate Court
confirmed the continuation of the case of the murders of Michelini and Gutiérrez Ruiz. On 10 September 2007, another Appellate Court
opened a new case to be tried by Judge Gatti for 10 homicides, for violations of the constitution.
On 7 February 2008, the BPS, Social Security Administration, suspended Bordaberry's retirement payments as ex-president of the country.
One of his sons, Pedro Bordaberry
, himself presidential candidate and a former minister, has been vocal in public support for his father, and, by strong implication, for a measure of justification for the role of the civilian-military government of 1973–1985. Another son, Santiago Bordaberry, is a rancher and religious activist and has been prominent in the former President's public defence.
was sentenced to 25 years. He had also been unsuccessfully tried for violating the constitution in the 1973 coup.
Uruguayan people
Uruguayan people or Uruguayans are the citizens of Uruguay, or its descendants abroad. Uruguay is a multiethnic society, which means that it is home to people of many different ethnical backgrounds...
politician and cattle rancher, who first served as President from 1972 until 1976, including as a dictator from 1973 until his ouster in a 1976 coup. He came to office following the Presidential elections of late 1971.
In 1973, Bordaberry dissolved the General Assembly
General Assembly of Uruguay
The General Assembly of Uruguay has two chambers.*the Chamber of Deputies has 99 members, elected for a five year term by proportional representation....
and was widely regarded as ruling by decree as a military-sponsored dictator until disagreements with the military led to his being overthrown before his original term of office had expired. On November 17, 2006 he was arrested in a case involving four deaths, including two of members of the General Assembly during the period of civilian-military rule in the 1970s.
Background and earlier career
Bordaberry was born in 1928 in MontevideoMontevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Uruguay's capital. Juan María Bordaberry's father was Domingo Bordaberry
Domingo Bordaberry
Domingo Bordaberry Elizondo was a Uruguayan political figure.-Early career:Bordaberry was a lawyer by profession.He became a farm manager and subsequently a landowner.-Senator:...
, who served in the Senate and in Ruralist leadership, and he was the heir to one of the largest ranches in the country. Initially, Juan María Bordaberry belonged to the National Party
National Party (Uruguay)
The National Party , also known as the White Party , is a major right-wing conservative political party in Uruguay, currently the major opposition party to the ruling Frente Amplio government....
, popularly known as the , and was elected to the Senate on the Blanco ticket. In 1964, however, he assumed the leadership of (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "National Rural Action League"), and in 1969 joined the Colorado Party
Colorado Party (Uruguay)
The Colorado Party is a political party in Uruguay.- Aims :It unites Conservative, Moderate and Social democratic groups. It was the dominant party of government almost without exception during the stabilisation of the Uruguayan republic....
.
Agriculture Minister
That year he was appointed to the CabinetCabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
, where he sat from 1969 to 1971 as agriculture minister in the government of President Jorge Pacheco
Jorge Pacheco Areco
Jorge Pacheco Areco was a Uruguayan politician and member of the Colorado Party. He served as President of Uruguay from December 6, 1967 to March 1, 1972.-Vice President of Uruguay:...
, having had a long association with rural affairs (see Domingo Bordaberry
Domingo Bordaberry
Domingo Bordaberry Elizondo was a Uruguayan political figure.-Early career:Bordaberry was a lawyer by profession.He became a farm manager and subsequently a landowner.-Senator:...
).
President of Uruguay
Bordaberry was elected president as the Colorado candidate in 1971. It has since emerged that he only won due to considerable electoral fraud. He took office in 1972 in the midst of an institutional crisis caused by the authoritarian rule of Pacheco and the terrorist threat. Bordaberry, at the time, had been a minor political figure; he exercised little independent standing as a successor to Pacheco other than being Pacheco's handpicked successor. He continued Pacheco's authoritarian methods, suspending civil liberties, banning labor unions, and imprisoning and killing opposition figures. He appointed military officers to most leading government positions.Before and after his period of Presidential office, he was identified with schemes for agricultural improvement; his Agriculture minister was Benito Medero
Benito Medero
Benito Medero was an Uruguayan politician.-Background:He was a 5th generation cattle rancher in the Flores Department.He was intendente and council member of Flores...
. In personal terms, one of Bordaberry's actions which proved in hindsight to have been disadvantageous was his appointment of Jorge Sapelli
Jorge Sapelli
Jorge Sapelli was an Uruguayan political figure. He was the Vice President of Uruguay from 1972 until his resignation in 1973.- 1972-1973 :...
as Vice President of Uruguay
Vice President of Uruguay
-List of Vice Presidents of Uruguay:Parties: Colorado Party, National Party, Frente Amplio-History of the office:The office of Vice President of Uruguay dates from 1934 ....
, given the latter's resignation and public repudiation of him in 1973. In 1973, the military commanders threatened to remove him from power unless he agreed to be the figurehead leader of a coup d'état. Bordaberry gave in; on June 27, 1973 he dissolved Congress and suspended the Constitution
1973 Uruguayan coup d'état
The 1973 Uruguayan coup d'état took place in Uruguay on the 27th of June 1973 and marked the beginning of the civic-military dictatorship which lasted until 1985....
. For the next three years, he ruled by decree with the assistance of a National Security Council ("COSENA").
Premature end of term of Presidential office
In 1976, the military, preferring to rule through Alberto DemicheliAlberto Demicheli
Alberto Pedro Demicheli Lizaso was a Uruguayan political figure. Demicheli was a de facto President of Uruguay in 1976...
, already serving in the government and a figure at first thought to be more accommodating to their wishes, ousted Bordaberry from office. The military claimed, whether accurately or not, that Bordaberry wanted to dissolve permanently the political parties and set up a corporatist state according to a pattern with little precedent in Uruguayan history. Bordaberry's anticipated 5-year term of office, 1972–77, was thus curtailed by the military. Bordaberry then returned to his ranch.
Family
One of Juan María's sons, Pedro BordaberryPedro Bordaberry
Juan Pedro Bordaberry Herrán is a Uruguayan political figure. He is the current President of the Colorado Party-Early life:Bordaberry was educated at The British Schools of Montevideo, gaining fluency in English...
, Minister for Tourism and Industry in the government of Jorge Batlle. Another son, Santiago, is a rural affairs activist.
Arrest
On 17 November 2006, following an order by judge Roberto Timbal, Bordaberry was placed under arrest along with his former foreign minister Juan Carlos Blanco EstradéJuan Carlos Blanco Estradé
Juan Carlos Blanco Estradé is a Uruguayan political figure.-Background:He comes from a distinguished Uruguayan political family. His father Daniel Blanco Acevedo was a Deputy representing Montevideo in the 1940s and 1950s. His grandfather Juan Carlos Blanco Fernández was himself Uruguayan Foreign...
. He was arrested in connection with the 1976 assassination of two legislators, Senator Zelmar Michelini
Zelmar Michelini
Zelmar Michelini was a Uruguayan reporter and politician, assassinated in Buenos Aires in 1976 as part of Operation Condor....
of the Christian Democratic Party and House leader Héctor Gutiérrez
Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz
Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz was a Uruguayan political figure, who died by assassination in the framework of Operation Condor. He arried with Matilde Rodriguez Larreta , had 5 children: Mark, John Paul, Magdalena, Facundo and Matthew.-Background and political role:He served as a Uruguayan deputy, and was...
of the National Party
National Party (Uruguay)
The National Party , also known as the White Party , is a major right-wing conservative political party in Uruguay, currently the major opposition party to the ruling Frente Amplio government....
. The assassinations took place in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
but the prosecution argued they had been part of Operation Condor
Operation Condor
Operation Condor , was a campaign of political repression involving assassination and intelligence operations officially implemented in 1975 by the right-wing dictatorships of the Southern Cone of South America...
, in which the military regimes of Uruguay and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
coordinated actions against dissidents. Timbal ruled that since the killings took place outside Uruguay, they were not covered by an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
enacted after the return of civilian rule in 1985.
On 23 January 2007, he was hospitalized in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
with serious respiratory problems. Because of his health problems the judge Paublo Eguern ordered that Bordaberry be transferred to house arrest. From 27 January he served his prison term in the house of one of his sons in Montevideo. On 1 June 2007, an Appellate Court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
confirmed the continuation of the case of the murders of Michelini and Gutiérrez Ruiz. On 10 September 2007, another Appellate Court
Appellate court
An appellate court, commonly called an appeals court or court of appeals or appeal court , is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal...
opened a new case to be tried by Judge Gatti for 10 homicides, for violations of the constitution.
On 7 February 2008, the BPS, Social Security Administration, suspended Bordaberry's retirement payments as ex-president of the country.
Opposition and support
Bordaberry's arrest was generally met with satisfaction and regarded as the end of impunity in Uruguay, a country considered by some to have lagged behind other Latin American nations in this matter. However, former President Julio Sanguinetti has been critical of the one-sided prosecution of individuals involved in the conflict, and there has been lively media debate regarding issues surrounding Bordaberry's arrest.One of his sons, Pedro Bordaberry
Pedro Bordaberry
Juan Pedro Bordaberry Herrán is a Uruguayan political figure. He is the current President of the Colorado Party-Early life:Bordaberry was educated at The British Schools of Montevideo, gaining fluency in English...
, himself presidential candidate and a former minister, has been vocal in public support for his father, and, by strong implication, for a measure of justification for the role of the civilian-military government of 1973–1985. Another son, Santiago Bordaberry, is a rancher and religious activist and has been prominent in the former President's public defence.
Conviction
On 5 March 2010, Bordaberry was sentenced to 30 years in prison (the maximum allowed under Uruguayan law) for murder, becoming the second former Uruguayan dictator sentenced to a long prison term; in October 2009, Gregorio Conrado ÁlvarezGregorio Conrado Álvarez
Gregorio Conrado Álvarez Armelino is a Uruguayan general and former dictator. He served as the de facto president of Uruguay from 1981 until 1985.-Background:...
was sentenced to 25 years. He had also been unsuccessfully tried for violating the constitution in the 1973 coup.
Death
On 17 July 2011, Bordaberry died, aged 83, at his home. He had been suffering from respiratory problems and other illnesses.See also
- List of political families#Uruguay
- Domingo Bordaberry#Political heritage
- Benito Nardone#Ruralist involvement with the Bordaberrys
- Benito Medero#Minister of Agriculture under President Bordaberry
- Politics of UruguayPolitics of UruguayThe Politics of Uruguay abide by a presidential representative democratic republic, under which the President of Uruguay is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as a multiform party system. The president exercises executive power and Legislative power is vested in the two...
- 1973 Uruguayan coup d'état1973 Uruguayan coup d'étatThe 1973 Uruguayan coup d'état took place in Uruguay on the 27th of June 1973 and marked the beginning of the civic-military dictatorship which lasted until 1985....
- Civic-military dictatorship of UruguayCivic-military dictatorship of Uruguay (1973-1985)The Civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay lasted from June 27, 1973 following the 1973 coup d'état until February 28, 1985.This dictatorship was the corollary of an escalation of violence and authoritarism in a traditionally peaceful country, and should be analyzed in the light of the Cold War...
