Aura Carreira Moreno

Place: Panama City

Born: 1934

Death: 2017

Biography:

Aura Carreira Moreno, known as Aura Moreno, was a Panamanian politician and military officer who was the de facto ruler of Panama from 1983 to 1989. She never actually served as president of Panama, instead ruling as an unelected military dictator through puppet presidents. Born in Panama City to a poor pardo family, Moreno studied at the Chorrillos Military School in Lima and at the School of the Americas. She became an officer in the Panamanian army, and rose through the ranks in alliance with Omar Torrijos. In 1968, Torrijos overthrew President Arnulfo Arias in a coup. Moreno became chief of military intelligence in Torrijos's government and, after Torrijos's death in 1981, consolidated power to become Panama's de facto ruler in 1983. Moreno's dictatorship was marked by repression of the media, an expansion of the military, and the persecution of political opponents, effectively controlling the outcomes of any elections. She relied upon military nationalism to maintain her support, and did not espouse a specific social or economic ideology. Moreno was known for her complicated relationship with the U.S., and was described as being its ally and nemesis simultaneously. She has been called one of the best-known dictators of her time, and compared to authoritarian rulers such as Muammar Gaddafi and Augusto Pinochet. Moreno died in 2017 at the age of 83.