Alfredo Ernesto Poveda Burbano (January 24, 1926 – June 7, 1990) was an Interim

President of Ecuador The president of Ecuador ( es, Presidente del Ecuador), officially called the Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador ( es, Presidente Constitucional de la República del Ecuador), serves as both the head of state and head of govern ...

January 11, 1976, to August 10, 1979.

Background

Poveda was born in Ambato on January 24, 1926. He attended Mejía High School in Quito and the Escuela Superior Naval "Comandante Rafael Morán Valverde" and graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Náutica Manuel Belgrano (ESNN). He also attended military academies in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

Career

Poveda first served in the Ecuadorian navy where he was promoted as the naval attache at Ecuadorian missions to Western European countries. He became commander of the First Naval Zone and commander of the Marine Infantry Battalion. Poveda came to power through a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

in 1976 and was appointed by the Supreme Council of Government as president. He governed with two other members, General Guillermo Durán Arcentales (for the

Ecuadorian Army The Ecuadorian Army ( es, ''Ejército Ecuatoriano'', italic=unset) is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 160,500 soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine. The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jun ...

) and General Luis Leoro Franco (for the

Ecuadorian Air Force The Ecuadorian Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, FAE) is the Air arm of the Military of Ecuador and responsible for the protection of the Ecuadorian airspace. Mission To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional ...

). The

triumvirate A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

structured a plan for return to democratic government that led to multiparty general elections after a referendum on a choice of constitutions between a new one created by a constitutional assembly appointed by the Triumvirate and the Constitution of 1948 with several reforms. The new constitution was adopted in 1979 and it was recognized as a progressive document. The referendum lead to multi-party general elections among some twenty recognized political parties and the populist lawyer from Guayaquil

Jaime Roldós Aguilera Jaime Roldós Aguilera (5 November 1940 – 24 May 1981) was 33rd President of Ecuador from 10 August 1979 until his death on 24 May 1981. In his short tenure, he became known for his firm stance on human rights. Early life and career Roldós ...

was elected

. The military government was known for its crackdown of dissent and was particularly noted for its handling of the October 1977 sugar workers' strike at El Aztra, which resulted to the death of 100 individuals. The regime also withdrew land reform in the same year while all pending land cases were concluded in favor of landowners. Upon return to a democratic system Admiral Poveda withdrew from public life and took residency in Guayaquil, Ecuador. While returning to Ecuador after a conference in Russia, he died from a myocardial infarction during a layover in Miami, Florida.

References

External links

Unofficial short Biography
(broken) 1926 births 1990 deaths Presidents of Ecuador Ecuadorian military personnel Leaders who took power by coup People from Ambato, Ecuador Interior ministers of Ecuador {{Ecuador-politician-stub