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| Affiliation | Colombian Liberal |
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| Name | Alfonso López Michelsen |
| Address |
, , Colombia |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
June 30, 1913
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| Died | July 11, 2007
(94 years)
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| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | Thomas Walker
Jul 12, 2007 04:21pm |
| Tags |
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| Info | López Michelsen, Alfonso (b. June 30, 1913, Bogotá), president of Colombia (1974-78); son of Alfonso López Pumarejo. Returning to Colombia from voluntary exile in Mexico in 1958, he organized a new party of dissident Liberals, the Liberal Revolutionary Movement (MRL), to oppose the National Front, the coalition of the two major established parties, the Liberals and Conservatives. Established in 1957 to end a decade of violent civil strife, the National Front pact had guaranteed the peaceful alternation of presidential terms between the two parties, thereby, in López' opinion, stifling any real political competition and leadership. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 1962 but gained a seat in the Senate, to which he was reelected in 1966. In 1967 he made peace with the orthodox Liberal Party leadership and, returning to the fold, was appointed governor of the new department of César by Pres. Alberto Lleras Camargo. In August 1968 he became foreign minister, serving until 1970; he formed closer ties with the Soviet Union and worked for better relations with other Latin American countries. In 1974 the termination of the National Front agreement restored competitive presidential elections, and he soundly defeated Conservative Álvaro Gómez Hurtado. A provisional extension of the pact, however, required the president to form a cabinet made up of equal numbers of Liberals and Conservatives. He took steps to curb inflation, raised taxes on high incomes, and eliminated price subsidies. But there was a rise in unemployment, leading to a surge in labour unrest, land seizures by peasants, and guerrilla activity, moving him to declare a state of siege in 1975. He lost the 1982 presidential election to Conservative Belisario Betancur Cuartas.
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