First term

Lindolfo Cuestas first assumed the Presidency in crisis circumstances .^[1] On August 25, 1897 the sitting President of Uruguay, Juan Idiarte Borda was assassinated by a gunman, Avelino Arredondo. Lindolfo Cuestas as the President of the Senate of Uruguay became president.^[2]

Within two years Lindolfo Cuestas had ceded the Presidency to José Batlle y Ordóñez on an interim basis.

Second term

He soon reassumed the office, however, and served until 1903, when he again stepped down in favour of José Batlle y Ordóñez.

Political background

Lindolfo Cuestas's periods of Presidential office were characterized by crises, not only originating from the assassination of Idiarte, but also by internal dissension within the Colorado Party and by strife with the Opposition Blanco Party, which continued to propel the country into outbreaks of the intermittent Civil War which beset Uruguay throughout the mid- to late- 19th century.

In 1898, as noted by one study, Cuestas “dissolved the chambers that had been elected with notorious vices of fraud. By dissolving the chambers, he convenes a state council with legislative powers and with representatives of the three parties that were active at that time: Colorado, national and constitutional. This state council approved an electoral reform that gave representation to minorities and mandated the formation of the permanent Civic Registry.” ^[3]