Octavio Lepage

Octavio Lepage
President of Venezuela Acting
In office 21 May 1993 – 5 June 1993
Preceded by	Carlos Andrés Pérez
Succeeded by	Ramón José Velásquez
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1984–1986
President	Jaime Lusinchi
Preceded by	Luciano Valero
Succeeded by	José Ángel Ciliberto
Minister of Home Affairs
In office 1975–1978
President	Carlos Andrés Pérez
Preceded by	Luis Piñerúa Ordaz
Succeeded by	Manuel Mantilla
Personal details
Born	24 November 1923 Santa Rosa, Anzoátegui, Venezuela
Political party	Acción Democrática
Spouse(s)	Verónica Peñalver
Signature

Octavio Lepage Barreto, (born 24 November 1923 in Santa Rosa, Anzoátegui) ^[1] was Acting President of Venezuela from 21 May 1993 to 5 June 1993.

Lepage was a member of the student movement of the political party Acción Democrática (AD) at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), being designated in 1945 as Secretary in the Executive Committee of AD in Caracas. He graduated from UCV with a degree in law in 1947, and in 1948 he was elected as the deputy for Anzoátegui to the National Congress. In November of that year, he was elected Secretary General of AD, but did not take the position due to the suppression of political parties following the overthrow of Rómulo Gallegos.

Lepage was the First Secretary of Acción Democrática while it operated clandestinely from January to September 1949, when he was succeeded by Leonardo Ruiz Pineda. Lepage also was part of the Secretariat of Organization of the party. In July 1950, he was arrested by the Seguridad Nacional (National Security) and imprisoned in San Juan de los Morros. Upon being released in July 1954, he was expelled from the country, and in exile was a member of the coordinating foreign committee.

Returning from exile, Lepage was elected deputy for Anzoátegui in 1959. In 1964 he was appointed as ambassador to Belgium. He served there until 1965, when he returned to Venezuela to assume the General Secretariat of Acción Democrática. In the 1973 elections he was elected to the Venezuelan Senate for Miranda and in 1975 he was designated by President Carlos Andrés Pérez as Minister of Interior, being appointed again during the administration of Jaime Lusinchi. Lusinchi wanted Lepage to be the AD candidate in the Venezuelan presidential election, 1988,^[2] but in a primary election the party chose Carlos Andrés Pérez.^[3]

In 1993, he succeeded Carlos Andrés Pérez and assumed the Provisional Presidency of the Republic as the President of the Congress after the suspension of Pérez over corruption allegations.^[4] Octavio Lepage was succeeded by Ramón José Velásquez, who became President on 5 June 1993.

References

1. Venezuelan Ministry of Justice. (1977). “Revista del Ministerio de Justicia” (Ministry of Justice Magazine)
2. New York Times, 28 June 1987, In Venezuela, Ex-President Seeks Old Job
3. Los Angeles Times, 12 October 1987, The World
4. Review of the second presidency of Carlos Andrés Pérez at Venezuela Virtual / www.mipunto.com

See also

• Venezuela
• Presidents of Venezuela