Former President Salvador Jorge Blanco died yesterday at 84
Diario Libre
Early yesterday morning, former President Salvador Jorge Blanco passed away in his house, after remaining in a deep coma for 37 days.
He had been hospitalized in the Abel Gonzalez Clinic for Advanced Medicine, since the dawn hours of Saturday, 19 November, after suffering a fall from his bed which fractured his cranium. He was living on Boy Scouts #28 in Ensanche Naco. The fall causes an internal hemorrhage and this, in turn, his coma.
During the almost month-long stay at the medical center, the former president was operated on twice by neurosurgeons Jose Joaquin Puello and Giancarlo Hernandez. After being in a coma for 18 days, the politician was disconnected from the artificial respirator which kept him alive, and from then on, he breathed on his own.
The former President was released from the hospital on 21 December and taken to his residence, where he continued receiving medical attention, since his condition remained critical. He is survived by his two children, Orlando Jorge Mera and Dilia Leticia Jorge Mera. Orlando is the secretary general of the Dominican Revolutionary Party.
While in bed at the medical clinic, Jorge Blanco was visited by President Leonel Fernandez and other leaders from the Dominican Liberation Party, the Dominican Revolutionary Party and the Social Christian Reformist Party.
Executive Branch declares mourning period
By Decree 717-10, the Executive Branch declared three days of National Mourning for the national territory. The mourning began on Sunday and the Dominican flag will be flown at half-staff in all public or official places, including the military bases.
The presidential order decrees that the former President shall receive full ceremonial honors that correspond to his position. Moreover, because of the official mourning, the traditional birthday greetings for President Leonel Fernandez were suspended on Sunday at the Presidential Palace.
"The Presidency felt that it was not appropriate to receive birthday greetings as a measure of respect for the passing of former President Jorge Blanco, whose remains will be on view at the Presidential Palace", says the communiqué released by the director of Information, Press and Publicity for the President.
Negro Veras saddened
Jurist Ramon Antonio Veras said that he was saddened by the death of the former President of the Republic, with whom he said he had a friendly relation, as a colleague, law office partner and ties of friendship that reached familiarity, and which lasted until 26 December 1985, the date when the nearly 20 year old bonds were broken.
He told Diario Libre that the relations with Jorge Blanco were strengthened in their professional work as well as in the work at the courts defending human rights, public liberties and the persecuted politicians during the fateful 12 years of governments by Dr. Joaquin Balaguer.
"I have always regretted the broken relation with Salvador and I have said if Salvador had not suggested the separation, until today we would have been together; but a lot of intrigue, gossip, got in the way, which pushed Salvador to suggest the dissolution of our relationship", said Veras.
The former President, an outstanding politician, lawyer, university professor and writer, was born in Santiago de los Caballeros on 5 July 1926.
At 31 years of age he married Asela Altagracia Mera Checo, with whom he had two children, Orlando and Delia Leticia. His wife, the former First Lady of the Republic, dies in 2007 at 74.
Jose Salvador Omar Jorge Blanco, his full name, was elected senator during the 1978-1982 period. In the Senate he was the spokesman for the PRD senators. In 1982 he became the 40th President of the Republic (1982-1986).
He began to go into politics after the fall of the Trujillo regime, in 1963 when he formed part of the Union Civica in Santiago, acting as the Committee Secretary. He entered the PRD in 1964 and 13 years later, 1977, he was a presidential hopeful at the party convention, being defeated by Antonio Guzman Fernandez.
In 1965, during the Constitutionalist government of Colonel Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deño, he served as the Attorney General of the Republic. He also took part in the Negotiating Commission that arranged the cease-fire from the events of the April Revolution, which attempted to restore the government of Juan Bosch who was ousted on 25 September 1963. He took part in the writing of the Constitutional and Dominican Reconciliation Acts.
He has been the only former President of the Republic taken to court for alleged acts of embezzlement of funds and other crimes. The accusations were dismissed since there was insufficient proof. The sentence that called for a 20 year jail term was annulled in 2001 by the Appeals Court in Santo Domingo, during the administration of Hipolito Mejia, his party comrade. Such accusations were attributed by the PRD to a political and psychological persecution orchestrated during the administration of then President Joaquin Balaguer (1986-1990).
Other important roles performed: He formed part of the National Executive Committee and the Political Commission of the PRD. He occupied the presidency of the party during the period of 1977-1979.
He is the author of more than a dozen books, among them Derechos Humanos and Libertades Públicos, "Guerra, Revolución y Paz" and "Formularios de las vías de Ejecución", among others.
He had been hospitalized in the Abel Gonzalez Clinic for Advanced Medicine, since the dawn hours of Saturday, 19 November, after suffering a fall from his bed which fractured his cranium. He was living on Boy Scouts #28 in Ensanche Naco. The fall causes an internal hemorrhage and this, in turn, his coma.
During the almost month-long stay at the medical center, the former president was operated on twice by neurosurgeons Jose Joaquin Puello and Giancarlo Hernandez. After being in a coma for 18 days, the politician was disconnected from the artificial respirator which kept him alive, and from then on, he breathed on his own.
The former President was released from the hospital on 21 December and taken to his residence, where he continued receiving medical attention, since his condition remained critical. He is survived by his two children, Orlando Jorge Mera and Dilia Leticia Jorge Mera. Orlando is the secretary general of the Dominican Revolutionary Party.
While in bed at the medical clinic, Jorge Blanco was visited by President Leonel Fernandez and other leaders from the Dominican Liberation Party, the Dominican Revolutionary Party and the Social Christian Reformist Party.
Executive Branch declares mourning period
By Decree 717-10, the Executive Branch declared three days of National Mourning for the national territory. The mourning began on Sunday and the Dominican flag will be flown at half-staff in all public or official places, including the military bases.
The presidential order decrees that the former President shall receive full ceremonial honors that correspond to his position. Moreover, because of the official mourning, the traditional birthday greetings for President Leonel Fernandez were suspended on Sunday at the Presidential Palace.
"The Presidency felt that it was not appropriate to receive birthday greetings as a measure of respect for the passing of former President Jorge Blanco, whose remains will be on view at the Presidential Palace", says the communiqué released by the director of Information, Press and Publicity for the President.
Negro Veras saddened
Jurist Ramon Antonio Veras said that he was saddened by the death of the former President of the Republic, with whom he said he had a friendly relation, as a colleague, law office partner and ties of friendship that reached familiarity, and which lasted until 26 December 1985, the date when the nearly 20 year old bonds were broken.
He told Diario Libre that the relations with Jorge Blanco were strengthened in their professional work as well as in the work at the courts defending human rights, public liberties and the persecuted politicians during the fateful 12 years of governments by Dr. Joaquin Balaguer.
"I have always regretted the broken relation with Salvador and I have said if Salvador had not suggested the separation, until today we would have been together; but a lot of intrigue, gossip, got in the way, which pushed Salvador to suggest the dissolution of our relationship", said Veras.
The former President, an outstanding politician, lawyer, university professor and writer, was born in Santiago de los Caballeros on 5 July 1926.
At 31 years of age he married Asela Altagracia Mera Checo, with whom he had two children, Orlando and Delia Leticia. His wife, the former First Lady of the Republic, dies in 2007 at 74.
Jose Salvador Omar Jorge Blanco, his full name, was elected senator during the 1978-1982 period. In the Senate he was the spokesman for the PRD senators. In 1982 he became the 40th President of the Republic (1982-1986).
He began to go into politics after the fall of the Trujillo regime, in 1963 when he formed part of the Union Civica in Santiago, acting as the Committee Secretary. He entered the PRD in 1964 and 13 years later, 1977, he was a presidential hopeful at the party convention, being defeated by Antonio Guzman Fernandez.
In 1965, during the Constitutionalist government of Colonel Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deño, he served as the Attorney General of the Republic. He also took part in the Negotiating Commission that arranged the cease-fire from the events of the April Revolution, which attempted to restore the government of Juan Bosch who was ousted on 25 September 1963. He took part in the writing of the Constitutional and Dominican Reconciliation Acts.
He has been the only former President of the Republic taken to court for alleged acts of embezzlement of funds and other crimes. The accusations were dismissed since there was insufficient proof. The sentence that called for a 20 year jail term was annulled in 2001 by the Appeals Court in Santo Domingo, during the administration of Hipolito Mejia, his party comrade. Such accusations were attributed by the PRD to a political and psychological persecution orchestrated during the administration of then President Joaquin Balaguer (1986-1990).
Other important roles performed: He formed part of the National Executive Committee and the Political Commission of the PRD. He occupied the presidency of the party during the period of 1977-1979.
He is the author of more than a dozen books, among them Derechos Humanos and Libertades Públicos, "Guerra, Revolución y Paz" and "Formularios de las vías de Ejecución", among others.
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