José López Portillo
President of Mexico from 1976 to 1982 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse ˈlopes poɾˈtiʝo]; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 to 1982. López Portillo was the only official candidate in the 1976 presidential election, being the only president in recent Mexican history to win an election unopposed.
José López Portillo | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, c. 1976–1982 | |
| 58th President of Mexico | |
| In office 1 December 1976 – 30 November 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Luis Echeverría |
| Succeeded by | Miguel de la Madrid |
| Secretary of Finance and Public Credit of Mexico | |
| In office 29 May 1973 – 22 September 1975 | |
| President | Luis Echeverría |
| Preceded by | Hugo B. Margáin |
| Succeeded by | Mario Ramón Beteta |
| Director of the Federal Electricity Commission | |
| In office 18 February 1972 – 29 May 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Guillermo Villarreal Caravantes |
| Succeeded by | Arsenio Farell Cubillas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (1920-06-16)16 June 1920 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Died | 17 February 2004(2004-02-17) (aged 83) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Resting place | Cementerio Militar, Mexico City, Mexico |
| Political party | PRI |
| Spouses | |
| Parent(s) | José López Portillo y Weber Refugio Pacheco Villa-Gordoa |
| Alma mater | National Autonomous University of Mexico (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
Politically, the López Portillo administration began a process of partial political openness by passing an electoral reform in 1977 [es] which loosened the requisites for the registration of political parties (thus providing dissidents from the left, many of whom had hitherto been engaged in armed conflict against the government, with a path to legally participate in national politics) and allowed for greater representation of opposition parties in the Chamber of Deputies, as well as granting amnesty to many of the guerrilla fighters from the Dirty War.[1] On the economic front, López Portillo was the last of the so-called economic nationalist Mexican presidents.[2] His tenure was marked by heavy investments in the national oil industry after the discovery of new oil reserves, which propelled initial economic growth, but later gave way to a severe debt crisis after the international oil prices fell in the summer of 1981, leading Mexico to declare a sovereign default in 1982.[3] As a result of the crisis, the last months of his administration were plagued by widespread capital flight, leading López Portillo to nationalize the banks three months before leaving office,[4] and by the end of his term Mexico had the highest external debt in the world.[5][6] His presidency was also marked by widespread government corruption and nepotism.[7][8]
Shortly after leaving office, during the presidency of his successor Miguel de la Madrid, numerous officials who had worked under the López Portillo administration were prosecuted for corruption, the most notorious cases being Arturo Durazo and Jorge Díaz Serrano. Although López Portillo himself was suspected of having been involved in corruption as well, he was never charged with any crimes.[9][8] It was revealed after his death that he had been a CIA collaborator before he became president of Mexico.[10]
López Portillo died from complications of pneumonia at his home in Mexico City on 17 February 2004 at the age of 83, and was buried at the Mexico City Military Cemetery.