In Final Days, Imelda Hoped to Succeed Husband
Imelda Marcos, the former beauty queen who used her marriage to President Ferdinand E. Marcos to gain political power second only to his, reportedly still hoped to succeed him as president even as his resignation became imminent.
Mrs. Marcos sat silently beside her husband as he broadcast orders from the presidential palace during the four-day rebellion that forced him to step down.
At his inauguration early today, hours before they fled the palace, she appeared in a formal white gown and led about 3,000 supporters on the palace lawn in congratulatory song.
After the Marcoses fled to nearby U.S. Clark Air Base, a congressional source in Washington said the United States had been “negotiating like mad” with both Marcos and the opposition for several days.
“One of the main stumbling blocks was Imelda,” the source said. “Apparently, she wanted to stay and hoped to succeed him eventually.”
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