[1][2][3] In July 1979, when Somoza resigned, Urcuyo was the president of the lower chamber of National Congress of Nicaragua.

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[4] on 18 July, effectively handing the country over to the Junta of National Reconstruction.

Urcuyo's political career began in 1954 and subsequently he served twice as vice minister of Health and president of the lower chamber of National Congress of Nicaragua.

During his brief presidency, he declared the legality of his mandate, and quickly began to engage in dialogue with the various political forces in the country.

On the morning of 18 July, the three members of the Junta, Sergio Ramírez, Alfonso Robelo, and Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, left San José, Costa Rica, towards León, where they met with Daniel Ortega and Moisés Hassan Morales.