AP
Hugo Banzer (2001 file photo)

 A spokesman for Mr. Banzer said the former leader had been suffering from lung cancer that had spread throughout his body. His illness forced him to resign the presidency last August, one year before his term was due to end.

 Hugo Banzer first seized power in a military coup in 1971 and ran Bolivia as its dictator until he was overthrown in 1978. He returned to politics months after his ouster and ran in democratic elections throughout the 1980s and '90s. He won the popular vote for president in 1985, but failed to gain a majority and was defeated in second-round balloting. He finally was elected president in 1997.

 Supporters of the former president say he will be remembered for eradicating Bolivia's coca crop, the plant that is the base for cocaine. But his critics say he will be remembered for widespread civil unrest during his recent presidential term and his alleged involvement in Plan Condor, a 1970s plot by regional military dictators to kidnap and murder political opponents.

 Mr. Banzer was born in 1926 in Concepcion, in eastern Bolivia. He died early Sunday at his family home in Santa Cruz.
 
 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

Email this article to a friend.
Printer Friendly Version