Miguel Mariano Gómez Arias

Cuban politician. President of the Republic in 1936. Son of Major General of the Cuban Liberation Army and also president of Cuba, José Miguel Gómez.

As Mayor of La Habana, he opposed the dictatorship of Gerardo Machado, so when the suppression of the Mayoralty was approved by the constitutional reform of 1928, he was stripped of his position. Along with other political leaders, he took part in the failed Río Verde expedition, for which he was sent to prison and later had to go into exile.

In 1936 he was elected president of the Republic. His diligence in office and opposition to the enrichment of the military at the expense of the country's treasury led him to confront the head of the army, Fulgencio Batista, who pressured Congress to remove him in December 1936.

He was a representative to the Chamber and in 1926 was elected Mayor of La Habana. He opposed the dictatorship of General Gerardo Machado and took part in the failed Río Verde expedition in 1931. For this reason he was arrested and sent to prison. Later he had to depart into exile in the United States.

He returned to Cuba after Machado's fall and founded the Republican Action Party. He opposed the Pentarchy and the Government of the Hundred Days, and when Sumner Welles sought to bring the opposition closer to Colonel Fulgencio Batista to bring about the overthrow of Grau San Martín, he accepted that the former September sergeant remain at the head of the army in exchange for his support of the reaction[1].

In May 1936 he was elected President of the Republic, with the support of the already army chief, Fulgencio Batista. Even with the relative prestige gained during his administration as Mayor of La Habana when important works were carried out such as a maternity hospital and a children's hospital, among others, his government failed to gain strong support from public opinion, given the spurious nature of his election.

From almost the first moment he faced strong political opposition, without being able to count on a majority in Congress that would allow him to carry out his program, a situation that worsened when he lost the support of some of the elements that had contributed to his election, especially Fulgencio Batista.

At odds with Batista, the Congress of the Republic accused him of interfering with the faculties of the legislative power, by virtue of which his removal was agreed upon on December 24, 1936.

After his removal, his political life lacked relevance.