Francisco Urcuyo Maliaños was Acting President of Nicaragua for a single day in 1979, following the resignation of Anastasio Somoza Debayle on July 17. Upon taking office, he announced his intention to serve out the remainder of Somoza's term, in violation of an agreement reached some weeks earlier between the government and the Sandinista rebel forces. This announcement provoked a strong reaction from the Sandinistas, other Latin American states, and the Carter Administration in the U.S. Recognizing the untenability of his situation, Urcuyo fled to Guatemala on July 18, effectively handing the country over to the Sandinista junta.