Skip to main content
Like
Create new Glog
previous
next
Email share
266 views | 0 likes | 0 reposts
Alfredo Strossener
Country: Paraguay Date: 1954-1988 Was thrown out in a coup.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfredo_Stroessner
Stroessner objected to President Federico Chvez' plans to arm the national police and threw him out of office in a coup d'tat on May 4, 1954. After a brief interim presidency by Toms Romero, Stroessner was the only candidate in a special election on July 11 to complete Chvez' term. He was reelected eight times—in 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, and 1988. He appeared alone on the ballot in 1958. In his other elections, he won by implausibly high margins (well over 80 percent in many cases). He served for 35 years, with only Fidel Castro having a longer tenure among 20th century Latin American leaders.
Soon after taking office, Stroessner declared a state of siege and suspended constitutional freedoms. It was renewed every 90 days for the rest of his term, and was only lifted during elections. A devoted anti-Communist, he justified this action as a necessary tool to protect the country. Stroessner's strong anti-communism made him a friend to United States interests for most of his rule.
