Hugo Chávez

July 28, 1954 – March 5, 2013

Venezuelan army officer who led a failed coup in 1992 and was President of Venezuela from 1999 to 2013. His 'Bolivarian' socialism used oil wealth for social programmes.

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Biography

Hugo Chávez was a Venezuelan army officer and politician who was president from 1999 until his death in 2013. He led a failed coup against President Carlos Andrés Pérez in 1992 and was jailed for two years.

Elected in 1998, he introduced a new constitution and launched what he called the Bolivarian Revolution, using oil income to fund social programmes and nationalising key industries. He survived a short coup in 2002 and won several more elections.

He built alliances with Cuba and other left-wing governments in Latin America and opposed the United States. Critics accused him of weakening democratic institutions and the economy. He died of cancer and was succeeded by Nicolás Maduro.