Eric Arturo Delvalle

Eric Arturo Delvalle Cohen-Henríquez (born February 2, 1937) is a former Panamanian head of state.

Delvalle was born in Panama City. He is a member of the Latino fraternity Phi Iota Alpha. His brother Raúl is a former member of the National Assembly (1984–1989). Both he and his uncle, Max Delvalle, were members of the Kol Shearit Israel Synagogue. His uncle Max was the first Jewish president in Latin America. He belonged to the Republican Party founded by his family.

He was elected as Nicolás Ardito Barletta's Vice President in the disputed 1984 election, and after Barletta's forced resignation he served as President of Panama from September 28, 1985 to February 26, 1988. Delvalle's presidency occurred during Manuel Noriega's de facto military rule of the country, and he was loyal ally of Noriega for much of his administration. After Noriega's indictment on February 4, 1988, by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Delvalle unsuccessfully attempted to remove Noriega from his formal post as head of the Panamanian Defense Forces. Instead, Noriega's allies in the Legislative Assembly voted on February 22 to oust Delvalle as president, and Delvalle went into hiding with the help of the American government. The Reagan administration failed to recognize the legitimacy of Delvalle's successors and continued to officially support the legitimacy of Delvalle's presidency until his term's official ending in late 1989.

References

Political offices
Preceded by Carlos Ozores	First Vice President of Panama 1984–1985	Succeeded by Roderick Esquivel
Preceded by Nicolás Ardito Barletta	President of Panama 1985–1988	Succeeded by Manuel Solís