Former President of the Republic Francisco Morales Bermudez Cerruti passed away on Thursday night at age 100, his son Remigio Morales Bermudez has confirmed.
"It is true. Yesterday at 11:20 p.m. (he died) due to an issue linked to his age. He would have turned 101 years old; (however,) he faced an imbalance from which he could not get out well," the son told RPP.
During his life, Francisco Morales Bermudez served as Commander General of the Army.
In August 1975, he led the Tacnazo —an event that was a coup against former President Juan Velasco Alvarado's regime (1968-1975), which had also taken power through a coup.
Thus, he proclaimed himself President of the Republic —Head of State in the Second Phase of the so-called Revolutionary Process of the Armed Forces in Peru.
During his time in office, the return of exiles was authorized and leaders of Accion Popular (Popular Action) party —hitherto persecuted for alleged crimes— were pardoned.
The reappearance of banned magazines was allowed. However, newspaper-publishing companies confiscated under Velasco Alvarado's regime were not returned to their owners.
During President Morales Bermudez's Government (1975-1980), general elections were called to form a Constituent Assembly, which included the participation of Peru's political forces.
The elected representatives for the Assembly met on July 28, 1978, and chose APRA party leader Victor Raul Haya de la Torre as its chairman. They also discussed and drafted the 1979 Constitution.
In accordance with the new constitutional charter, general elections were called for May 18, 1980. At the event, a new President and representatives for a bicameral Congress were democratically elected. Fernando Belaunde became President of the Republic.
Life sentence
Last February, the Italian Supreme Court confirmed the life sentence issued against Francisco Morales Bermudez, accused of the disappearance of Italian citizens through the Plan Condor (Operation Condor) —a repressive plan implemented in Latin America in the 1970s.
Italy began to investigate the murder and disappearance of Italian-Latin Americans by Plan Condor. In 2007, it requested the arrest of a total of 146 military members from the Juntas of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Morales Bermudez was not extradited to Italy and did not serve any time in prison over said charges.
(END) GSR/CVC/MVB