Jaime Paz Zamora

Jaime Paz Zamora (April 15 1939), was President of Bolivia from August 6, 1989 to August 6, 1993. Founder in 1971 and all-time leader of the leftist, Social Democratic-oriented party Movement of Revolutionary Left (Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria, MIR), which was given membership in the Socialist International.

Paz Zamora first served as Vicepresident of the Republic with his uncle Víctor Paz Estenssoro from 1982 to 1984. On August 5, 1989 he was proclaimed President by the Congress in spite of finishing in third place in the general elections held on May 7 that year, thanks to the political support received from the rightist and second most voted candidate, Hugo Banzer, an old arch-foe of him by the time Banzer ruled the country as a military dictator, in the 70s. By helping Paz Zamora, Banzer averted the proclamation of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, who had won the direct elections but below the required 50% threshold.

Paz Zamora has run for president of Bolivia four times to the moment, in 1985, 1989, 1997 and 2002. Was third in the first three polls and fourth in the latter.

External link

Extended biography by CIDOB Foundation (http://www.cidob.org/bios/castellano/lideres/p-014.htm) (in Spanish)

See also

• List of presidents of Bolivia
• History of Bolivia
• Politics of Bolivia