Hugo Banzer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hugo Banzer
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Official photograph by Freddy Alborta, 1971
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| 51st President of Bolivia | |
| In office 6 August 1997 – 7 August 2001 |
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| Vice President | Jorge Quiroga |
| Preceded by | Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Quiroga |
| In office 21 August 1971 – 21 July 1978 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
| Parents | 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 Suárez (born May 10, 1926 – died May 5, 2002) was a military officer and politician from Bolivia. He served as the 51st president of Bolivia. He was president two times. First, he led the country as a military ruler from 1971 to 1978. Later, he became president again from 1997 to 2001, this time after being chosen in a democratic election.
Banzer first became president after a coup d'état, which is when a group of military officers takes control of the government by force. This happened against the socialist president Juan José Torres. During his time as a military leader (1971–1978), many people who disagreed with him were arrested or had to leave the country. This period is sometimes called the Banzerato.
After Banzer was removed from power by another coup, he remained an important person in Bolivian politics. He ran for president several times in elections. He finally won in 1997 with a small number of votes. During his time as a democratically elected president, he changed the rule for how long a president could serve, from four years to five. He also faced big protests, like the Cochabamba Water War. He resigned in 2001 because he was sick with lung cancer. His Vice President, Jorge Quiroga, then became president.
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Early Life and Military Career
Hugo Banzer grew up in the countryside of the Santa Cruz Department in Bolivia. He went to military schools in Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. This included the Armored Cavalry School in Texas. He also took a special course at the School of the Americas. His family had come from Germany.
Banzer became a colonel in the army in 1961. Three years later, he was put in charge of the Ministry of Education and Culture. This was under the government of General René Barrientos, who was his friend. Banzer became more and more involved in politics. He supported the more conservative (right-wing) side of the Bolivian Army. He also became the director of two military academies.
Becoming President (1970–1971)
In 1970, President Juan José Torres was leading Bolivia in a more left-wing direction. This made many conservative groups in Bolivia unhappy. The Nixon administration in the United States was also worried. Torres created a "People's Assembly" where workers, teachers, students, and farmers could have a say. This was like a parliament for these groups. Torres also allowed a labor leader, Juan Lechín, to lead the main workers' union again. These actions, along with an earlier decision to take back control of oil properties from a foreign company, made his opponents even angrier.
In early 1971, some parts of the Bolivian military tried to remove President Torres, but they failed. Banzer then left Bolivia and went to Argentina. However, he still wanted to become president.
Time as Military Ruler (1971–1978)
On August 17, 1971, Banzer successfully planned a military uprising. It started in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, where he had many supporters. Eventually, his group took control of the military bases in La Paz, but there was a lot of fighting. Some people believe that the United States and Brazil secretly helped Banzer with money and advice for this takeover.
With this support, Banzer became the powerful leader of the new government. On August 22, he was given full power as president. President Juan José Torres had to leave Bolivia and went to Argentina. Five years later, Torres was kidnapped and killed. This killing was part of a secret plan called Operation Condor, which involved several South American governments.
Banzer had the support of two large political parties in Bolivia: the center-right Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (MNR) and the conservative Falange Socialista Boliviana. For the next seven years, Banzer, who was now an army general, ruled Bolivia as a dictator.
Banzer was tired of the political arguments and protests that happened before he took power. He did not like people disagreeing with the government or speaking freely. So, he banned all left-wing political parties. He also stopped the powerful workers' union and closed the country's universities. His main goal was to bring "order" to the country. He used strong methods to make sure people followed his rules and to stop any protests.
At first, Banzer had some support from the public because of the two main parties. But by 1974, these parties realized he did not plan to hold elections. They saw that he was using them to stay in power. At that point, Banzer stopped pretending and banned all political activities. He sent all major political leaders, including Paz Estenssoro, out of the country. From then on, he ruled only with the support of the military.
Human rights groups say that during Banzer's rule (1971–1978), thousands of Bolivians had to leave the country to find safety. About 3,000 political opponents were arrested, and many were treated badly. Some people simply disappeared.
In 1975, Banzer started talking with Chile again. Their diplomatic relations had been stopped since 1962. Banzer wanted Bolivia to get access to the Pacific Ocean, which Bolivia lost in a war in the 1800s. The Chilean leader, Augusto Pinochet, offered a small strip of land near the port of Arica. However, this land used to belong to Peru. According to an old treaty, Peru had to agree if Chile wanted to give that land to another country. Peru did not agree. Instead, Peru suggested that Arica and its waters should be shared by all three countries. Chile did not accept this idea, and the talks with Bolivia ended. Diplomatic relations between Bolivia and Chile were stopped again in 1978.
Return to Democracy and Removal
The Carter administration in the United States put pressure on Banzer to allow Bolivia to become a democracy again in 1978. He announced a limited forgiveness for some political prisoners, and the country prepared for democratic elections. At that time, the Bolivian constitution did not allow a president to be elected right after serving a term. So, Banzer first supported General Juan Pereda as the candidate for his government. People thought Pereda would win the election with the government's help. The plan was for Pereda to rule for four years, and then Banzer would return as president.
However, a left-wing group led by former president Hernán Siles Zuazo was very popular. The elections on July 9 were not fair. The official results showed Pereda winning by a lot, but there were huge protests across the country. Independent groups said that all surveys showed Siles had actually won easily. It was later found that more votes were counted than there were registered voters.
Because there was so much proof of unfairness, Banzer had the election results canceled. He blamed Pereda and his supporters for the cheating. He said he would call new elections in a year or two.
But Pereda and other military officers felt that Banzer was using them for his own political goals. They removed Banzer from power in a coup on July 21. Pereda blamed Banzer for the unfair election and promised to hold elections later. However, Pereda himself was removed from power in November 1978 by other military officers who wanted democracy. These officers, led by General David Padilla, were embarrassed by what had happened. They suspected Pereda would not hold new elections either. So, they quickly set a firm date for the country to return to civilian rule.
As a Civilian Political Leader
After leaving office, Banzer started a political party called the ADN party. This was a large group that brought together many conservative people under his leadership. Banzer ran for president in the elections of 1979 and 1980. He came in third place both times. The 1979 election was not decided because no candidate got enough votes. So, the Congress had to choose the president. The Congress would likely have chosen Siles, but then another coup happened on July 17, 1980. This coup brought a harsh military government led by General Luis García Meza to power.
The military's reputation was badly damaged by the problems of the 1980–82 military rule. So, they decided to accept the results of the 1980 election. The Congress elected that year was brought back together, and they officially chose Siles as president.
Banzer strongly opposed the government of Siles, which lasted from 1982 to 1985. But he became more cooperative when Víctor Paz Estenssoro was elected president in 1985. Banzer's party even said they helped create some important economic changes that Paz made. These changes were meant to control very high inflation, manage labor unions, and make the government smaller.
Banzer came in second place in the 1989 elections. But he supported the third-place candidate, the left-leaning Jaime Paz Zamora, in Congress. Paz Zamora became president with the help of Banzer's party. In return, Paz promised to support Banzer in a future election. The former military ruler again finished second in 1993. This time, he lost to Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada.
In the 1997 elections, Banzer finally came in first place, though by a small number of votes. He was able to become president with the support of Paz and others. This was a large group of parties, from Paz's left-leaning Revolutionary Left Movement to Banzer's conservative ADN.
As Constitutional President (1997–2001)
In 1997, at 71 years old, Banzer was finally elected president of Bolivia in a democratic election. He was the first former dictator in recent Latin American history to successfully become a democratic politician and return to power through voting.
Banzer was president during the Cochabamba Water War in 2000. This conflict was about the privatization of the water system in Cochabamba, Bolivia's third-largest city. Privatization means selling a public service to a private company. In 1999, a company called Aguas del Tunari, which was part of a U.S. company called Bechtel, won the contract for the water system. They were the only company that bid.
After one month, Bechtel raised the water prices by over 60%. Local people were also not allowed to collect rainwater because the company now owned the rights to it. In January 2000, protests started in Bolivia because of the water privatization. There was violence when the police and protesters clashed. Banzer then declared a "state of siege," which meant some civil liberties were temporarily stopped. When officials from the company left because the authorities said their safety could not be guaranteed, Banzer's government said they had left the project. In April 2000, the government canceled the contract and reached an agreement with the protesters.
Banzer was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2001. Even though he had one year left of his five-year term, he resigned on August 7. His Vice President, Jorge Quiroga, took over as president.
Death
Hugo Banzer died from lung cancer in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on May 5, 2002. He was 75 years old, just five days before his 76th birthday. His death also came about two months before his original presidential term would have ended. He was buried at the General Cemetery of Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz.
See also
- First Cabinet of Hugo Banzer
- Second Cabinet of Hugo Banzer
