1966 Bolivian general election

General elections were held in Bolivia on 3 July 1966.[1] René Barrientos of the Front of the Bolivian Revolution (FRB) was elected President with 67% of the vote,[2] whilst the FRB won a majority in both houses of Congress. James Dunkerley describes the election as not free and fair since a major segment of the opposition was excluded from participating.[3]

Background

Following the 1964 elections, Barrientos had led a military coup to remove Víctor Paz Estenssoro from power. In May 1965, Juan Lechín Oquendo, a labor leader who was the head of the left faction of the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement, was arrested and expelled from the country.[4]

Campaign

Several alliances were formed for the elections:[5]

Alliance Parties
Christian Democratic CommunityBolivian Socialist Falange
Democratic Revolutionary Alliance
National Association of Democratic Professions
Democratic Institutionalist AllianceLiberal Party
Republican Socialist Unity Party
Front of the Bolivian RevolutionAuthentic Revolutionary Party
Popular Christian Movement
Social Democratic Party
Revolutionary Left Party
Liberation Front of the National LeftCommunist Party and others

Foreign involvement

The United States government provided financial support to Barrientos' campaign, including his efforts to form an electoral coalition and to campaign for the election.

Results

Party Presidential candidate Votes % Seats
Chamber Senate
Front of the Bolivian RevolutionRené Barrientos680,53267.28218
Christian Democratic CommunityBernardino Bilbao Rioja138,05413.6198
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement–AndradeVíctor Andrade88,0998.700
Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of the PeopleMario Díez de Medina61,3096.011
Liberation Front of the National LeftFelipe Iñíguez33,0543.200
Democratic Institutionalist AllianceEnrique Hertzog11,4001.100
Invalid/blank votes90,503
Total1,099,99410010227
Registered voters/turnout1,270,61186.6
Source: Nohlen

See also

References

  1. Nohlen, D (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p133 ISBN 978-0-19-928358-3
  2. Nohlen, p150
  3. Dunkerley, James (1998). "The 1997 Bolivian election in historical perspective". ISA Occasional Papers (16).
  4. U.S. High Level Panel (2004). "Editorial Note".
  5. Nohlen, p139
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