Batista adhered to the 1940 constitution's strictures preventing his re-election.[30] Ramon Grau San Martin was the winner of the next election, in 1944.[2] Grau further corroded the base of the already teetering legitimacy of the Cuban political system, in particular by undermining the deeply flawed, though not entirely ineffectual, Congress and Supreme Court.[31] Carlos Prío Socarrás, a protégé of Grau, became president in 1948.[24] The two terms of the Auténtico Party saw an influx of investment which fueled a boom and raised living standards for all segments of society and created a prosperous middle class in most urban areas.[citation needed]