Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the 47th president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period of forty-seven hours in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when it merged with several other parties to form the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which he led until 2012.
Some of the key events about Hugo Chávez
- 1975Graduated from the Venezuelan Academy of Military Sciences with a degree in military sciences and engineering
- 1992Led a failed coup attempt against President Carlos Andrés Pérez, gaining national attention
- 1992Led a failed military coup attempt against the Venezuelan government
- 1998Won the Venezuelan presidential election with 56.2% of the vote
- 1999Initiated the drafting of a new constitution, which was approved by referendum
- 1999Rewrote the constitution to expand presidential powers and extend term limits
- 2000Launched the "Plan Bolívar 2000" social welfare program to improve living conditions for the poor
- 2001Implemented land reform laws to redistribute unused land to peasant families and cooperatives
- 2001Passed 49 laws by decree, bypassing the National Assembly
- 2002Fired 18,000 employees of the state oil company PDVSA, crippling oil production
- 2003Established "Misión Robinson", a program aimed at eradicating illiteracy in Venezuela
- 2004Passed a law allowing government control over media content
- 2005Declared Venezuela free of illiteracy as recognized by UNESCO
- 2006Launched "Misión Vivienda", a large-scale public housing program
- 2006Refused to renew the broadcast license of RCTV, a major opposition TV network
- 2007Nationalized key industries, including telecommunications and electricity
- 2009Eliminated term limits, allowing indefinite re-election
- 2010Devalued the Venezuelan currency, contributing to economic instability
- 2012Announced that Venezuela had paid off its debt to the World Bank and IMF
- 2012Withdrew Venezuela from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
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