Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Former Bolivia President Gueiler Dies

Boliviabella
I can't say that I follow Bolivian politics all that much, but I did find this story about Lidia Gueiler interesting.
Lidia Gueiler, the only woman ever to have been Bolivia's president, died Monday at age 89...
Gueiler was only the second woman to lead a Latin American nation as president when she held the post for about eight months in 1979-80 between coup d'etats...
As president of Congress, Gueiler followed Bolivia's constitutional line of succession and assumed the presidency in 1979 after a deadly popular revolt ousted coup leader Gen. Alberto Natusch Busch.

Gueiler called elections but no candidate won a majority to immediately become president as required by Bolivian law. Her cousin Gen. Luis Garcia Meza overthrew her 18 days after the vote, before a runoff could be held.

Garcia Meza's government lasted two years, in which it killed and imprisoned dozens of political opponents and cooperated with drug traffickers. Garcia Meza is imprisoned in Bolivia for human rights crimes.

Gueiler fled into exile after her ouster but returned from Chile in 1983.

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