
Last democratically elected pre-Castro Cuban president.
Carlos Prío Socarrás was elected President of Cuba in 1948 as the candidate of the Auténtico Party. His election was seen as a continuation of the democratic reforms of the 1940 Constitution, and he took office with a mandate for social and economic progress.
Prío's presidency was marked by corruption, political violence, and failure to implement promised reforms. His administration was plagued by gangsterism and scandals, weakening public trust in democratic institutions. He was overthrown by Batista's coup in 1952.
Prío was overthrown in a military coup led by Fulgencio Batista on March 10, 1952. The coup occurred just months before scheduled elections, in which Prío was not running. He went into exile in the United States, where he continued to oppose Batista's regime.