Rufino Soares
Rufino Lopez Soares | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7 [[President of Quetana]] | |
| In office 14 January 1946 – 14 January 1956 | |
| Prime Minister | António Carmona |
| Preceded by | Anselmo Saldanha |
| Succeeded by | Clemente Saldanha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 April 1894 Vongane, Kingdom of Quetana |
| Died | 2 September 1964 (aged 70) Vongane, Quetana |
| Children | 4 |
Rufino Soares (12 April 1894 – 2 September 1964) was a Quetanan politician and general who served as the 7th President of Quetana from 1946-56. Soares served in the Quetanan Armed Forces from 1915-1944, in his later years of service having been promoted to the rank of general. He was elected president after defeating Anselmo Saldanha's hand-picked successor-to-be, Ciríaco Hernandes. Soares was notably head of state during the length of the World War, and his experience as a military commander was instrumental in the allies' efforts to win the war. After the war, Soares struggled to maintain his popularity due to economic hardship, and he subsequently lost his 1956 reelection bid to Clemente Saldanha. Soares died from leukaemia in 1964. Historians often regard him as one of the best Quetanan leaders, though criticism is levied towards his economic endeavors.