Mamerto Urriolagoitía

Mamerto Urriolagoitia
43rd President of Bolivia
In office 24 October 1949 – 16 May 1951 Acting: 7 May 1949 – 24 October 1949
Preceded by	Enrique Hertzog
Succeeded by	Hugo Ballivián
26th Vice President of Bolivia
In office 10 March 1947 – 24 October 1949
President	Enrique Hertzog
Preceded by	Julián Montellano
Succeeded by	Hernán Siles Zuazo
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship
In office 10 March 1947 – 14 May 1947
President	Enrique Hertzog
Preceded by	Aniceto Solares
Succeeded by	Luis Fernando Guachalla
Personal details
Born	Mamerto Urriolagoitia Harriague (1895-12-05)5 December 1895 University of Saint Francis Xavier
Awards	Order of the Condor of the Andes Order of Charles III Order of Isabella the Catholic
Signature
Mamerto Urriolagoitía's voice Speech delivered to the National Congress, c. 1952

Mamerto Urriolagoitía Harriague (Spanish pronunciation: [maˈmeɾto wrjolaˈɣojtja aˈrjaɣe] ^ⓘ; 5 December 1895 – 4 June 1974) was a Bolivian lawyer and politician who was the 43rd president of Bolivia, from 1949 to 1951. A member of the Republican Socialist Unity Party, he had previously been the 26th vice president of Bolivia, from 1947 to 1949, under President Enrique Hertzog.^[2][1][3] Urriolagoitía's short reign was characterized by the violent suppression of the opposition, especially unionists, and he is remembered for his inflexibility. He is considered the last constitutional president of the largely oligarchic social and political order that reigned in the country until the advent of the 1952 Bolivian National Revolution.^[4]

Urriolagoitía was born on 5 December 1895 in

Around this time, Hertzog was forced to step back after suffering health problems from the pressures of the presidency.[3]^[10][11] Urriolagoitía assumed the role of president on 24 October 1949. The existing Cabinet resigned and Urriolagoitía re-filled it to best suit his needs.^[2]

Much of Urriolagoitía's presidency was dedicated to repressing the reformist movement headed by the

Meanwhile, he worked to support Gabriel González Videla's election as president of Chile.^[8] In 1950, the two discussed establishing a corridor that allowed Bolivia access to the Pacific Ocean.^[14][15] The Bolivian port would be established in Arica.^[16] In Bolivia, he ensured completion of the 1950 Census, the first census to be held in Bolivia since the turn of the 20th century.^[3][4]

By the 1951 presidential elections, however, the opposition party, led by Víctor Paz Estenssoro, had gained significant popularity. Paz was declared the winner^[17][18][8] with 85,000 votes to Urriolagoitía's party's 35,000.^[8] This was despite the fact that, under the law, only about 200,000 privileged, educated, and propertied Bolivians could vote.^{[citation needed]} Urriolagoitía refused to give power to Paz^[17][18] and instead installed the head of the Bolivian military,^[19] General Hugo Ballivián, as president to prevent the MNR from taking power.^[20][21][9] This coup against the democratic order would come to be known as the Mamertazo of 1951.^{[17][18][1][9][22]}

With the elections annulled and Ballivián firmly installed in the Palacio Quemado,^[9] Urriolagoitía fled to Chile,^[8] where he settled in Arica.^[3] In exile, he wrote Bolivia (1825–1925) and stayed out of the political scene.^[5] He eventually returned to his native Sucre, where he died on 4 June 1974 at the age of 78.^[3][4]