The Reluctant President

Abstract The election of José María Vargas to the presidency of Venezuela in 1835 was momentous. For the first time in Latin American history, the government accepted election defeat, peacefully renounced power, and allowed an opposition candidate to take office. His election altered the terms of legitimacy within the electoral process and helped to establish enthusiasm for a civilian constitutional order. This electoral transfer of power was hardly a complete success. Within months, a military uprising unseated President Vargas. Ultimately, the rebellion failed. Former President Páez defeated the rebels and returned Vargas to power, but Vargas resigned shortly thereafter. The electoral revolution and the subsequent violent upheaval fortified several aspects of the republican system. They proved Congress’s ability to resolve election conflicts and increased the power of civilian government and of those supporting constitutional legal order. The election of Vargas, however, had other contradictory consequences: The country stopped electing civilians to the position of president.