Francisco Urcuyo

Who was Francisco Urcuyo?

Francisco Urcuyo Maliaños was Nicaraguan politician, who served as Vice President of Anastasio Somoza Debayle from May 1967 to May 1972. He was born in Rivas and died in Managua.

Urcuyo was the Speaker of the Parliament of Nicaragua in 1979, when he was handpicked by Somoza as successor to the presidency. Urcuyo became the 77th acting president of Nicaragua for a single day from 17 July to 18 July 1979, following the resignation of Somoza on 17 July. Upon taking office, he announced his intention to serve out the remainder of Somoza's term. This announcement provoked a strong reaction from the Sandinistas, other Latin American states, and the Carter Administration in the U.S. Recognizing the untenability of his situation, Urcuyo fled to Guatemala on 18 July, effectively handing the country over to the Sandinista junta.