Demetrio Basilio Lakas Bahas (August 29, 1925 in

Colón, Panama Colón () is a city and seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's second city. Originally it was ...

November 2, 1999 in

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is loca ...

) was the 27th

President of Panama This article lists the heads of state of Panama since the short-lived first independence from the Republic of New Granada in 1840 and the final separation from Colombia in 1903. Free State of the Isthmus (1840–1841) Republic of Panama ...

from December 19, 1969 to October 11, 1978.

Early life and education

The son of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

immigrants, Lakas was born in Colón. Following his education in local schools, he graduated from

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...

in 1963 and was honored as a distinguished alumnus in 1970. Lakas was nicknamed "Jimmy the Greek" due to his origin.

Presidency

Lakas was popular among his fellow businessmen. After General

Omar Torrijos Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera (February 13, 1929 – July 31, 1981) was the Commander of the Panamanian National Guard and military leader of Panama from 1968 to his death in 1981. Torrijos was never officially the president of Panama, ...

survived a military coup against him on 16 December 1969, Torrijos named him president of the provisional government. Lakas' presidency was primarily during rule of military officer

, and was marked by media censorship and suppression of opposition movements. He also negotiated the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaty that transferred control of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

from the US to Panama.

Death

He died on 2 November 1999 at the age of 74 in

after succumbing to a heart disease.

References

1925 births 1999 deaths People from Colón, Panama Presidents of Panama Texas Tech University alumni Panamanian people of Greek descent {{Panama-politician-stub