Carlos Lleras Restrepo; Former Colombian President
Carlos Lleras Restrepo, 86, the former Colombian president who led the drive for economic union in Latin America in the 1960s. Lleras Restrepo, president from 1966 to 1970, designed the Andean Pact, a trade agreement that linked Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. Chile later withdrew. During 60 years in politics, Lleras Restrepo held an array of posts, including minister, ambassador and congressman. But 1970 elections to choose his successor as president were marred by fraud, beginning a new cycle of turbulence in Colombia. One candidate, Gen. Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, alleged that he was cheated of victory and some of his supporters organized a guerrilla group that carried out dramatic attacks on the government. Lleras Restrepo ran for reelection in 1978, but the Liberal Party did not support him. In Bogota on Tuesday of respiratory complications.
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