Hugo Chávez, (born July 28, 1954, Sabaneta, Barinas, Venez.—died March 5, 2013, Caracas), President of Venezuela (1999–13). After graduating from the Venezuelan Military Academy (1975), he embarked on a career in the army. Tasked with capturing leftist guerrillas, he began to empathize with them and support their revolutionary ideology. In 1992 he and other military officers led an attempt to overthrow the government of Pres. Carlos Andrés Pérez. It failed, however, and Chávez was imprisoned until 1994. He subsequently formed the political party Movement of the Fifth Republic, and in 1998 he was elected president of Venezuela on a platform that advocated increased spending on social programs and redistribution of the country’s oil wealth. His initial popularity waned as he pursued constitutional changes that broadened his power, and in 2002, following a massive anti-Chávez rally, he was briefly ousted by the military. Reelected in 2006, he continued to implement his socialist political program (the “Bolivarian Revolution”) and suppress the opposition in Venezuela. In foreign policy, Chávez was noted for efforts to create Latin American unity and for his outspoken criticism of world leaders, in particular those in the United States.
Hugo Chávez summary
president summary
president, In government, the officer who serves as head of state and sometimes also as chief executive. In countries where the president is chief of state but not of government, the role is largely ceremonial, with few or no political powers. Presidents may be elected directly or indirectly, for a limited or unlimited number of terms. In the U.S., the president’s chief duty is to ensure that the laws are faithfully executed, which he does through various executive agencies and with the aid of his cabinet. He also serves as commander in chief of the armed forces, nominates judges to the Supreme Court, and makes treaties with foreign governments (contingent on Senate approval). The office of president is used in governments in South and Central America, Africa, and elsewhere. In western Europe executive power is generally vested in a prime minister and his cabinet, and the president, where the office exists, has few responsibilities (though France is a significant exception).