Hugo Banzer

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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 (1926-05-10)10 May 1926 Concepción, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Died	5 May 2002(2002-05-05) (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
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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