 As the first democratically elected socialist president, President Salvador Allende named him his first Minister of the Interior and vice president, a position he held until he was cited by Congress accused of tolerating the creation of left-wing paramilitary organizations.Allende responded by naming him Minister of Defense, a deliberate challenge to his right wing detractors.As such, he had to deal with the Tanquetazo putsch, the first attempt at a military led coup d'état.