Javier Maximiliano Alfredo Hipólito Valle Riestra González Olaechea or simply known as Javier Valle Riestra (born January 5, 1932), is a Peruvian lawyer and politician. Known member of the Peruvian Aprista Party, has held several public offices, among them the most controversial being is the President of the Council of Ministers during the presidency of

Alberto Fujimori Alberto Kenya Fujimori Inomoto ( or ; born 28 July 1938) is a Peruvian politician, professor and former engineer who was President of Peru from 28 July 1990 until 22 November 2000. Frequently described as a dictator, * * * * * * he remains a ...

in 1998. This premiership is known for being the only one led by a politician from the opposition in Peruvian history during the Fujimori regime to date.

Early life and education

Born on January 5, 1932 to Richard Valle Riestra Meiggs and Hortensia Gonzalez Olaechea and Olaechea, Valle Riestra studied at el ''Colegio Sagrados Corazones de la Recoleta'' in Lima. He studied law at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Pontifical Catholic University of Peru ( es, link=no, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic Church, being the oldest private ...

between 1950 and 1956. Between 1970 and 1971 obtained his doctorate as a lawyer at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Grandson of Maximiliano Gonzalez Olaechea, an outstanding physician, great grandson of the former

Prime Minister of Peru The president of the Council of Ministers of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Consejo de Ministros del Perú), informally called Premier (form of address) or Prime Minister, is the head of the cabinet as the most senior member of the Council ...

Manuel Pablo Olaechea and nephew of former Minister of Justice Pedro Carlos Olaechea and Olaechea. He has been President of the Executive Commission of the Lima Bar Association, as well as Vice President of the Peruvian section of the Latin American Human Rights Association. In 1995, he joined the advisory commission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the conflict with Ecuador. As a member of this group, he defended the limits of Peru questioned by Ecuador as ambassador on a special mission to Spain, Germany and Italy.

Political career

Early political career

As a student at the Catholic University, he participated in demonstrations, demanding the legality of political parties, as well as free and democratic elections. Due to these participations, he met Ramiro Priano, who motivated him to seek the return to the legality of the Aprista Party. Valle Rossra defended the APRA in rallies with its rhetorical exhibitions. From 1963 to 1969, he was Member of the Lima City Council, elected under the Peruvian Aprista Party. When Francisco Morales-Bermúdez convened the

Constituent Assembly of Peru {{Infobox legislature , name = Constituent Assembly , native_name = Asamblea Constituyente , coa_pic = , coa_res = 250px , coa_caption = , legislature = Republic of Peru , house_type = Unicameral , leader1_ty ...

in 1978, Valle Riestra was elected Member of the Assembly. He became as one of the assistants of Victor Raul Haya de la Torre to include some of its proposals in this

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

, like the creation of the ombudsman office, the Constitutional Court, and other proposals.

Prosecution under the Velasco regime and exile (1969-1976)

In 1969, he was criminally charged by the military regime of

Juan Velasco Alvarado Juan Francisco Velasco Alvarado (June 16, 1910 – December 24, 1977) was a Peruvian general who served as the President of Peru after a successful coup d'état against Fernando Belaúnde's presidency in 1968. Under his presidency, nationalis ...

for allegedly planning a maneuver against the agrarian reform carried out by the government; because his in-laws (the Pardo family) were shareholders of the Pucalá farm and had been paid for the reform. The businessman Roberto Letts alerted Valle Riestra to the accusation and he took a flight to London via Paris. In various interviews, Valle Riestra comments that on the outward journey he spoke with the son of former Bolivian president Enrique Peñaranda, who recommended that he go into exile in Madrid. In 1976, Valle Riestra returned to Peru and was acquitted of the charges.

Deputy and Senator

In the 1980 elections, he was elected as Member of the Chamber of Deputies. For the 1985 elections, Valle Riestra announced his candidacy for APRA nomination for President, but he withdrew after it was evident that he would lose to victor

Alan García Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apri ...

. Instead, he was elected

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, being reelected in 1990. In the 1990 election, he was the second running mate of APRA nominee Luis Alva Castro but the ticket lost to Alberto Fujimori. His term as Senator ended in 1992, when President Alberto Fujimori dissolved Congress with a

self-coup A self-coup, also called autocoup (from the es, autogolpe), is a form of coup d'état in which a nation's head, having come to power through legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means. The leader may dissolve or render powerless ...

. Valle Riestra retired momentarily from politics.

Prime Minister

In 1998, President

offered him the office of the

, a post he assumed for a short time. He took office on June 4, 1998 . On July 7, Valle Riestra and his cabinet gained it’s confidence vote with 68 votes in favor, 32 against and 2 abstentions. But on August 8, Valle Riestra resigned because his efforts to democratize the country were not viable. He was replaced on August 21 by Alberto Pandolfi, who had previously been Premier. This premiership is known for being the only one led by a politician from the opposition in Peruvian history during the Fujimori regime to date. His tenure in office cost him his disagreements with some members of the Peruvian Aprista Party, who totally disapproved the Fujimori regime. During the same time, he disapproved the leadership of

of the APRA party, from his exile in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Congressman

In 2005, after mutually reconciled, Alan Garcia offered a quota for the list to the

Congress of the Republic of Peru The Congress of the Republic of Peru ( es, Congreso de la República) is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Congress' composition is established by Chapter I of Title IV of the Constitution of Peru. Congress is compose ...

for the 2006 elections. When he was elected as Member of Congress with the number 35 with a high number of votes, Valle Riestra said he never wanted to be elected at a "unicameral" Congress because he is a supporter of

bicameralism Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gr ...

2016 elections

In the

2016 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2016. Africa Benin Republic * 2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016 Cape Verde * 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016 Chad * 2016 Chadian presidential election 10 ...

, Valle Riesta ran for a seat in the

Andean Parliament The Andean Parliament is the governing and deliberative body of the Andean Community. It was created on October 25, 1979, in La Paz (Bolivia), through the Constitutive Treaty signed by the chancellors of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venez ...

under the Popular Alliance, but he was not elected as he attained a low share of votes.

References

External links

Official Congressional Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valle Riestra, Javier Living people Peruvian people of Spanish descent Prime Ministers of Peru People from Lima 1932 births American Popular Revolutionary Alliance politicians Members of the Congress of the Republic of Peru Members of the Chamber of Deputies of Peru Members of the Senate of Peru