Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García
Encyclopedia
Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García (24 January 1930 – 9 December 2009) was President of Guatemala
from 1 July 1974 to 1 July 1978. He was the son of a Norwegian
father and Guatemala
n mother.
Laugerud received part of his military training in the United States, attending classes at Fort Benning
, Georgia
, and at Command and General Staff College
, Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
. He served as Guatemalan delegate to the Inter-American Defense Board
between 1968 and 1970.
Laugerud had been chief of the army staff and defense minister under President Carlos Arana, then was elected president in a March 1974 vote
that was marred by violence and charges of fraud. His candidature had been endorsed by both the military-backed Institutional Democratic Party
and the far right
National Liberation Movement
. During his term, Guatemala experienced a disastrous earthquake in 1976, and had continuing disputes with neighboring Belize
. In 1977, after the Carter administration
published a report critical of the human rights situation in Guatemala, Laugerud announced that the country would no longer accept US military aid. Guatemala did in fact receive funds that had already been appropriated for that year, and later turned to other nations, such as Israel
, Spain
, Belgium
, Sweden
, Taiwan
, and Yugoslavia
for military aid and arms supplies.http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ceh/mds/spanish/cap1/reorg.html#Ref198
Just before the end of his term, Laugerud was also faced with the consequences of a stand-off between Kekchi Indians and the military in Panzós
, in which 53 unarmed civilians were killed by the Army, and another 47 were wounded.http://assets.cambridge.org/052184/083X/excerpt/052184083X_excerpt.htm
In 1983, Laugerud and three other ex-presidents were forced to retire from the army.
President of Guatemala
The title of President of Guatemala has been the usual title of the leader of Guatemala since 1839, when that title was assumed by Mariano Rivera Paz...
from 1 July 1974 to 1 July 1978. He was the son of a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
father and Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n mother.
Laugerud received part of his military training in the United States, attending classes at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and at Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
, Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He served as Guatemalan delegate to the Inter-American Defense Board
Inter-American Defense Board
The Inter-American Defense Board is an international committee of nationally appointed defense officials who develop collaborative approaches on common defense and security issues facing countries in North, Central, and South America...
between 1968 and 1970.
Laugerud had been chief of the army staff and defense minister under President Carlos Arana, then was elected president in a March 1974 vote
Guatemalan general election, 1974
General elections were held in Guatemala on 3 March 1974. No candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the presidential election, resulting in Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García being elected president by Congress on 12 March. The Congressional elections were won by an alliance of the...
that was marred by violence and charges of fraud. His candidature had been endorsed by both the military-backed Institutional Democratic Party
Institutional Democratic Party
The Institutional Democratic Party was a Guatemalan pro-government political party active during the 1970s.The PID was formed in 1963 by Enrique Peralta Azurdia after he had seized power in a coup. A centre-right party, it was modelled on the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party. From the...
and the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
National Liberation Movement
National Liberation Movement (Guatemala)
The National Liberation Movement was a Guatemala military-backed party formed in 1960 by Mario Sandoval Alarcón as a breakaway from the National Democratic Movement....
. During his term, Guatemala experienced a disastrous earthquake in 1976, and had continuing disputes with neighboring Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. In 1977, after the Carter administration
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
published a report critical of the human rights situation in Guatemala, Laugerud announced that the country would no longer accept US military aid. Guatemala did in fact receive funds that had already been appropriated for that year, and later turned to other nations, such as Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
for military aid and arms supplies.http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ceh/mds/spanish/cap1/reorg.html#Ref198
Just before the end of his term, Laugerud was also faced with the consequences of a stand-off between Kekchi Indians and the military in Panzós
Panzós
Panzós is a municipality in the Guatemalan department of Alta Verapaz.On 29 May 1978, the village of Panzós was the site of a massacre in which between 30 and 60 local inhabitants were killed by the army....
, in which 53 unarmed civilians were killed by the Army, and another 47 were wounded.http://assets.cambridge.org/052184/083X/excerpt/052184083X_excerpt.htm
In 1983, Laugerud and three other ex-presidents were forced to retire from the army.
External links
- Capsule biography From Rulers.org; search for "Laugerud"
- Guatemala Memoria del Silencio Historical Clarification CommissionHistorical Clarification CommissionThe Historical Clarification Commission was Guatemala's truth and reconciliation commission.The creation of the CEH was ordered by the Oslo Accords of 1994 that sought to bring an end to the Central American nation's three-decade-long Civil War, during which an estimated 200,000 people lost their...
(Guatemala's Truth Commission) on 1971-78 (in Spanish) - New York Times: Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García, Leader of Guatemala During ’76 Quake, Dies at 79