Daniel Chanis Pinzón

Daniel Chanis Pinzón (20 November 1892 – 22 January 1961) was a Panamanian politician and physician. As First Vice President of Domingo Díaz Arosemena, he became President of Panama on July 28, 1949, and served until November 20, 1949, when he was forcibly ousted by police chief José ("Chichi") Remón. He was succeeded by Díaz Arosemena's second vice president, Roberto Chiari. He belonged to the Liberal Party.

Early life

Chanis earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1917, Chanis published a paper in the American Urological Association's Journal of Urology in 1942 titled "Some Aspects of Hermaphroditism: Report of a Case of Female Pseudohermaphroditism" in 1942. He also served as General Council of Panama in Liverpool and London, and as treasury minister. though in reality their presence was intended to sway the voting to Diaz Arosemena, Chanis ran as the first vice-presidential candidate with Díaz Arosemena. Though Arias appeared to have 1,500 more votes than Díaz Arosemena following the May 9 election, Arias fled to Costa Rica following the decision. Chanis became president following Arosemena's death on August 23, 1949.

1949 coup d'état

Chanis's presidency came to an end on November 20, 1949. Panamanian Police Chief José Remón led a coup d'état in response to Chanis's refusal to overturn a Panama Supreme Court decision invalidating a contract between an abattoir that was "part of Remón's business empire" and several powerful Panamanian families. Chanis had asked for Remón's resignation previously, and, when Remón refused, tendered his own resignation in protest. Whether this resignation was voluntary or forced by Remón is unclear, and delivered a "blistering attack" Arnulfo Arias, with the approval of the Panama Congress. To legitimize the presidency, the national election jury, who had in 1948 ruled against Arias, " found pro-Arias votes it had been unable to find in weeks after the 1948 balloting".