Epifanio Méndez Fleitas

Epifanio Méndez Fleitas ( * 1917 in San Pedro del Paraná, Paraguay, † November 22, 1985 in Buenos Aires ) was a Paraguayan politician, musician and writer.

Life and work

Epifanio Méndez Fleitas joined in 1941 in the Colorado Party one. He supported the Democrático wing by Federico Chaves and became the most important rival of Alfredo Stroessner. On February 26, 1949, he was involved with Stroessner in the coup against the president Raimundo Rolón and was chief of police. In 1952 he became president of the Central Bank.

His open sympathy for the politics Juan Perón in Argentina led to an exile in his hometown. President Chaves was overthrown by the military uprising from the 3rd to May 8, 1954, Stroessner and Méndez Fleitas was the leader of an alliance of the Colorado Party and the military. The position of Méndez Fleitas was weakened by the overthrow of Perón in September 1955 on 23 December 1955 he had to resign from his position as President of the Central Bank.

In January 1956, he traveled on a diplomatic mission to Spain, on his return in March him entry to Paraguay was denied. He went into exile in Uruguay, where he was among the founders of the Movimiento Popular Colorado ( MOPOCO ) 1959. He later broke away from the MOPOCO and founded in 1973, Asociacion Nacional Republicana en el Exilio y la Resistencia. In his writings, he repeatedly drew President Stroessner in the strongest terms. In 1978 he was expelled under pressure from the Argentine government of Uruguay and moved to the U.S.. In June 1984, him entry to Argentina was permitted. He died on 22 November 1985 in Buenos Aires.

He composed about 40 songs folkloric nature.

Family

His eldest daughter, Teresa Méndez -Faith teaches Spanish literature at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. His nephew, Fernando Lugo, was elected on 20 April 2008 for the President of Paraguay.