Presidency of Rómulo Gallegos

The presidency of Rómulo Gallegos in 1948 was the second and final government of El Trienio Adeco, and the first elected Democratic Action government in history, succeeding the Junta Revolucionaria de Gobierno presided over by Rómulo Betancourt. Gallegos was the first president in the country's history to assume office through universal, direct, and secret suffrage, following the 1947 election.

Governing with an absolute legislative majority held by his party, Democratic Action, Gallegos' energy policy was characterized by the "Fifty-fifty" Law, which mandated that foreign oil companies and the Venezuelan state split profits equally. In agrarian policy, his administration enacted the Agrarian Reform Law.

In foreign policy, Gallegos fostered closer ties with the Unión Panamericana, personally leading efforts that contributed to its transformation into the Organization of American States (OAS).

His government was marked by disputes between Presidents Gallegos and Betancourt as well as conflicts with other political sectors, landowners, business leaders, and the Catholic Church. Although constitutionally mandated to last six years, his presidency ended after just over nine months. In the same year he took office, President Gallegos was arrested and overthrown in a coup d'état led by his own Minister of Defense, Carlos Delgado Chalbaud. This coup initiated a ten-year military dictatorship, forcing Gallegos into exile; he chose Cuba as his destination.

Following the 1961 Constitution, Rómulo Gallegos and other former presidents were designated as senators for life, a position Gallegos held until his death.