Hugo Rafael Chavéz-Frias was born in the town of Sabaneta, Barinas State, Venezuela, on 28 July 1954. He gained a degree in Military Sciences and Arts, Engineering Branch, Ground Speciality, from the Military Academy of Venezuela, graduating as Second Lieutenant on 5 July 1976. He continued his education by following a Master Degree in Political Sciences at the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas. On 4 February 1992 Chávez, then Lieutenant Colonel, headed a movement of young officers in an attempt to overthrow the government, which characterised itself principally by high levels of corruption. For his part in the attempt, President Chávez spent two years in prison. In December 1998, Hugo Chávez was democratically elected President of Venezuela, with an overwhelming 60% of the votes cast.

He was the leading force behind the new Venezuelan Constitution adopted in 1999 through national referendum. According to such Constitution the confirmation by the voters of many political appointments became a requisite. Although it was not necessary, President Chávez insisted that the voters be also given the opportunity of re-confirming his presidency. Chávez won this election, thus extending his term of office until 2006. Significant and wide-reaching political, institutional and economic reforms, as well as an ambitious program of social improvements have been implemented by President Chávez, in an attempt to reconnect an apathetic and disappointed population with democracy. Far-reaching social programmes have been developed (the better known “missions”, among others), benefiting numerous sectors of society previously excluded. Millions of people have now healthcare and education for the first time ever, as well as a sense of inclusion they never had in the forty previous years of democracy.

President Chávez has also set in motion a reactivated international energy policy and an energetic foreign policy. In April 2002 he was briefly deposed and jailed by reactionary forces that dissolved the National Assembly, the Supreme Court as well as all the elected posts. He was reinstated to power by the overwhelming reaction of the people and the action of the institutional Armed Forces. A few months later he faced a devastating oil strike aiming at his resignation and lead by the same sectors that previously stated the April coup. In August 2004 President Chavez’s mandate was submitted to a recall referendum (a figure that he introduced in the 1999 Constitution). Having won the referendum by more that 59 per cent of the votes, his triumph was recognised by all the international observers, the Carter Centre and the OAS among others. Unfortunately, the same opposition leadership that attempted the 2002 coup and the subsequent oil strike, did not recognise the result of the referendum.

President Chávez has headed the G-15, the G-77, the Group of Andean Community of Nations and the Group of Heads of States of the OPEC.


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