1948 Revolution and Exile
In the 1948 election for Picado's successor as Costa Rica's President, Picado supported his predecessor, Rafael Angel Calderón Guardia, who hoped to win a second term.
Former President Calderón lost the popular vote in a tight election to Otilio Ulate. This was the first time that elections were being held under the new Electoral Code of Laws and governed by the Tribunal of Elections and certain anomalies were committed with regard to the vote counting deadlines and the loss of ballots, and as a result, Calderón supporters in the Legislature invalidated the election results in accordance with the Constitution. In March-April 1948, the protests over the election results grew into a revolution. José Figueres with the help of "La Legion del Caribe" of which Fidel Castro was a prominent member (See Dr. Rosendo Argüello "Quienes y Como Nos Traicionaron"), led the revolution, defeating the Costa Rican Army, loyal to Calderón and President Picado. With more than 2,000 dead, the 44-day civil war resulting from this uprising was the bloodiest event in 20th-century Costa Rican history.
Contrary to popular belief that he was deposed by the armed uprising led by José Figueres Ferrer over the disputed elections for his successor, don Teodoro never resigned the presidency and completed his Constitutional Term while on an Official Visit to the Republic of Nicaragua, leaving his vice-president, Santos Leon Herrera, in charge of the country as acting-President.
Due to the difficult and persecutory political climate prevalent in the country during the de facto Provisional Government of José Figueres, in the aftermath of the revolution, he remained in Nicaragua, where he lived in exile until his death. His body was brought back to Costa Rica and is buried in the town of his ancestors, Paraíso, Cartago.
Read more about this topic: Teodoro Picado Michalski
Famous quotes containing the words revolution and/or exile:
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