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1966 Bolivian general election

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General elections were held in Bolivia on 3 July 1966. René Barrientos of the Front of the Bolivian Revolution (FRB) was elected president with 67% of the vote, whilst the FRB won a majority in both houses of Congress. James Dunkerley describes the election as not free and fair since a major segment of the opposition was excluded from participating. The United States government provided covert financial support to back Barrientos and to dissuade opposition parties from boycotting the vote.

Background

Following the 1964 elections, Barrientos had led a military coup to remove Víctor Paz Estenssoro from power. In May 1965, Juan Lechín Oquendo, a labor leader who was the head of the left faction of the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement, was arrested and expelled from the country.

Foreign involvement

The United States government conducted a covert "Political Action Program" in support of Barrientos' plan for elections. The Special Group of the National Security Council, then known as the 303 Committee, recommended backing Barrientos in July 1965 and March 1966. This backing included payments to Barrientos' emerging coalition and to factions of the Revolutionary National Movement that participated in elections. While the electoral results—a Barrientos victory—were coming in, an NSC memorandum summarized that,

The objectives of this program have been accomplished. A new political party was built to provide the platform for General Barrientos. This base was reinforced by a coalition of already existing parties. Despite many internal stresses, this pro-Barrientos complex was held together during the crucial pre-electoral period by *[1½ lines of source text not declassified]* covert financial support. At the same time covert financial assistance was given to *[redacted]* a rival party to ensure its participation in the elections. In addition, a *[redacted]* subsidy payment was made to *[redacted]* a second important opposition party which was considering withdrawing from the electoral process. [...] The combination of providing money and covert guidance to *[redacted]* contending parties changed the political climate from a volatile, conspiratorial atmosphere with little discussion of peaceful resolution through elections to a full fledged electoral atmosphere with the traditional violence and conspiracy thrust into the background.

Campaign

Several alliances were formed for the elections:

Alliance	Parties
Christian Democratic Community	Bolivian Socialist Falange
Democratic Revolutionary Alliance
National Association of Democratic Professions
Democratic Institutionalist Alliance	Liberal Party
Republican Socialist Unity Party
Front of the Bolivian Revolution	Authentic Revolutionary Party
Popular Christian Movement
Social Democratic Party
Revolutionary Left Party
Liberation Front of the National Left	Communist Party and others

Results

References

[[Dieter Nohlen]] (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II'', p133 {{ISBN. 978-0-19-928358-3
Nohlen, p150
Dunkerley, James. (1998). "The 1997 Bolivian election in historical perspective". ISA Occasional Papers.
U.S. High Level Panel. (2004). "Editorial Note".
(2015). "Foreign relations of the United States, 1969-1976. Volume E-11, Part 2, Documents on South America, 1973-1976". Department of State Office of the Historian.
(2015). "Foreign relations of the United States, 1969-1976. Volume E-11, Part 2, Documents on South America, 1973-1976". Department of State Office of the Historian.
Nohlen, p139

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