Hugo Ballivián

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Hugo Ballivián Rojas (7 June 1901 – 15 July 1993) was a Bolivian general who briefly led the country as the de facto president from May 1951 to April 1952. Born in La Paz, he was a career military officer and commander of the Bolivian Army, and he fought in the Chaco War.

Ballivián became president after President Mamerto Urriolagoitía asked him to take power to prevent the reform-minded Victor Paz Estenssoro from taking office. This extra-constitutional move, known as the Mamertazo, put Ballivián in the Palacio Quemado. He imposed a nationwide curfew and moved to imprison or exile some opposition leaders, but protests and uprisings continued.

The situation changed when Ballivián’s own government minister, General Antonio Seleme, secretly joined the plotters led by Hernán Siles Zuazo. From April 9–11, 1952, the Bolivian National Revolution broke the old regime, and Ballivián's government collapsed. He sought asylum in the Chilean Embassy as rebels took control, ending the 1880–1952 era in Bolivia.

Ballivián is viewed by some as defending the old order and by others as a general doing his duty in a very difficult time. He died in La Paz in 1993 at age 92.