Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada

Lore & Background

He ran for president in 1989 and won a plurality but lost the congressional vote to Jaime Paz Zamora. In 1993, he was elected president with an ambitious reform agenda, enacting landmark legislation to devolve power to local governments, reform education, and attract foreign capital. He partially privatized major state-owned enterprises through a capitalization program. He won a second nonconsecutive term in 2002. By 2003, his government was paralyzed by protests during the Bolivian gas conflict; his crackdown on demonstrators resulted in the Black October massacre and led to his resignation and flight abroad.

Reader's Guide

Sánchez de Lozada is historically assessed as the most emblematic and significant figure of Bolivia's neoliberal period (1985–2005). His first presidency saw transformative reforms including decentralization, educational reform, and the capitalization program that transferred state enterprises to foreign investors. However, his legacy is deeply controversial due to the events of his second term, particularly the Black October massacre. Since leaving office, he has faced multiple criminal cases in Bolivia and was held liable in the US for extrajudicial killings under the Alien Tort Statute. His political and economic model has since faced widespread criticism, and he remains a polarizing figure in Bolivian history.

Did You Know?

• He speaks Spanish with a Midwestern American accent due to growing up in Iowa and attending Scattergood Friends School.
• He founded Telecine in 1954 and his film Voces de la Tierra won First Prize for documentaries at the 1957 Edinburgh Film Festival.
• His great-great-grandfather Mariano Calvo and great-great-grandmother's brother Tomás Frías both served as President of Bolivia.
• He was a member and leader of the Revolutionary Nationalist Movement, realigning it toward neoliberalism.