Alberto Abdala ( ar, البرتو عبد الله; 8 April 1920 – 13 January 1986) was an
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
an
attorney, politician, painter and Vice-President from 1967 to 1972.
Background
Alberto Abdala was born in
Maldonado, Uruguay
Maldonado () is the capital of Maldonado Department of Uruguay. As of the census of 2011, it is the seventh most populated city of the country.
Maldonado is also the name of the municipality to which the city belongs. It includes the following zo ...
in 1920. He was of
Lebanese descent.
He was a member of the
Colorado Party. He served as
Interior Minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
and later as member of the
Consejo Nacional de Gobierno
The National Council of Government ( es, Consejo Nacional de Gobierno) was the ruling body in Uruguay between 1952 and 1967. It consisted of nine members, of which six were from the party that received the most votes in general elections, and thr ...
.
In 1966, the "Batllismo" faction of the Colorado Party didn't have a natural leader to run for the presidential elections of November of that year, after the death in 1964 of the faction's leader, former President
Luis Batlle. Some members of the faction insisted that Abdala should be the presidential candidate representing this sector, including Luis Batlle´ son,
Jorge Batlle
Jorge Luis Batlle Ibáñez (; ''Batlle'' locally or ; 25 October 1927 – 24 October 2016) was a Uruguayan politician and lawyer, and a member of the Colorado Party. He served as the President of Uruguay from 2000 to 2005.
Dr. Jorge Batlle b ...
. Ultimately, Abdala refused to run and future President Jorge Batlle was finally selected.
Vice President of Uruguay
After the death of President
Óscar Gestido, and the succession to the presidency of Vice President
Jorge Pacheco, Alberto Abdala, being the first senator on "Unidad y Reforma" Senate list (the most voted Senate list within the Colorado Party), became Vice President.
He diverged from many political decisions taken by the Pacheco administration, without, however, resigning. He considered a run for the Presidency in the 1971 elections, but in the end desisted, not wanting to split Unidad y Reforma, and supported a new bid for the presidency by Jorge Batlle.
Historical note
Abdala was the seventh person to hold the office of
Vice President of Uruguay
The vice president of Uruguay is the person with the second highest position in the executive branch of the Uruguayan government, after the President of Uruguay. The Vice President replaces the elected President in case of his death or absence. The ...
. The office dates from 1934, when
Alfredo Navarro
Alfredo Navarro (4 May 1868 – 17 May 1951) was a Uruguayan political figure.
Background
Navarro was a prominent member of the Colorado party in the 1930s.
He was a noted medical doctor.
Vice President of Uruguay
Navarro served as Vice Pres ...
became
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
's first Vice President.
Subsequent events and legacy
Abdala was succeeded 1972 as
Vice President of Uruguay
The vice president of Uruguay is the person with the second highest position in the executive branch of the Uruguayan government, after the President of Uruguay. The Vice President replaces the elected President in case of his death or absence. The ...
by
Jorge Sapelli, whose differences with the Administration in which he served would, unlike Abdala, lead him to repudiate the office of Vice President, and which thus went into abeyance for many years.
He is remembered as a quite popular political figure, even though the year after he stepped down the office which he held disappeared for many years.
Alberto Abdala died in
Montevideo in 1986.
References
See also
*
Politics of Uruguay
The 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 executiv ...
*
Lebanese Uruguayan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abdala, Alberto
1920 births
1986 deaths
People from Maldonado, Uruguay
Interior Ministers of Uruguay
Uruguayan people of Lebanese descent
Uruguayan Maronites
National Council of Government (Uruguay)
Vice presidents of Uruguay
Presidents of the Senate of Uruguay
University of the Republic (Uruguay) alumni
University of the Republic (Uruguay) faculty
Colorado Party (Uruguay) politicians
20th-century Uruguayan lawyers