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Hugo Banzer | |
|---|---|
 Banzer in 1971 | |
| 51st President of Bolivia | |
| In office 6 August 1997 – 7 August 2001 | |
| Vice President | Jorge Quiroga |
| Preceded by | Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Quiroga |
| In office 21 August 1971 – 21 July 1978 | |
| Vice President | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Juan José Torres |
| Succeeded by | Juan Pereda |
| Minister of Education and Culture | |
| In office 5 November 1964 – 6 August 1966 | |
| President | René Barrientos Alfredo Ovando Candía |
| Preceded by | Carlos Serrate |
| Succeeded by | Edgar Ortiz Lema |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hugo Banzer Suárez 10 May 1926 Concepción, Santa Cruz, Bolivia |
| Died | 5 May 2002 (aged 75) Santa Cruz, Bolivia |
| Political party | Nationalist Democratic Action |
| Spouse | Yolanda Prada |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | César Banzer Luisa Suárez |
| Education | Military College of the Army Armored Cavalry School School of the Americas |
| Awards |  Order of the Condor of the Andes Order of Isabella the Catholic Order of the Sun of Peru |
| Signature | .svg) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Bolivia |
| Branch/service |  Bolivian Army |
| Years of service | 1952–1978 |
| Rank | General |
Hugo Banzer[a] Suárez (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈuɣo ˈβanseɾ ˈswaɾes]; 10 May 1926 – 5 May 2002) was a Bolivian politician and military officer who served as the 51st president of Bolivia. He held the Bolivian presidency twice: from 1971 to 1978 as a military dictator; and then again from 1997 to 2001, as a democratically elected president.
Banzer rose to power via a coup d'état against socialist president Juan José Torres and repressed labor leaders, clergymen, indigenous people, and students during his 1971–1978 dictatorship. Several thousand Bolivians were either forced to seek asylum in foreign countries, arrested, tortured, or killed during this period, known as the Banzerato.
After Banzer's removal via a coup led by Juan Pereda, he remained an influential figure in Bolivian politics and would run for election to the presidency via the ballot box on several occasions, eventually succeeding in 1997 via a narrow plurality of 22.26% of the popular vote. During Banzer's constitutional term, he extended presidential term limits from four years to five and presided over the Cochabamba Water War, declaring a state of siege in 2000 that suspended several civil liberties and lead to violent clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.[1] After being diagnosed with lung cancer, Banzer resigned in 2001 and was succeeded by Vice President Jorge Quiroga.
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- ^ "International Commission of Jurists". www.icj.org. Archived from the original on 6 June 2007. Retrieved 12 January 2022.