General elections were held in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

on 9 July 1978. The elections were the first held since 1966, with several military coups taking place during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although

Juan Pereda Juan Pereda Asbún (17 June 1931 – 25 November 2012) was a Bolivians, Bolivian military general who served as the ''de facto'' 52nd president of Bolivia in 1978. Although he ruled for only four months, his ascent to the presidency ...

of the

Nationalist Union of the People The Nationalist Union of the People (Spanish: ''Unión Nacionalista del Pueblo'', UNP) was a right-wing, pro-military electoral political alliance in Bolivia. The UNP was formed in January 1978 by: * Bolivian Socialist Falange, FSB (right-wing pro- ...

won the presidential elections according to official statements, more votes were cast than there were registered voters. After examining a number of allegations of fraud and other irregularities, the Electoral Court decided to annul the results on 20 July. The following day, Pereda was installed as President following a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...

. Pereda himself was overthrown by yet another military coup in November, which saw General

David Padilla David Padilla Arancibia (13 August 1927 – 25 September 2016) was a Bolivian general who served as the 53rd president of Bolivia from 1978 to 1979. A native of Sucre, Padilla was born on 13 August 1927. Joining the armed forces, he rose t ...

assume the presidency. Fresh elections were held the following year, with Padilla transferring power to his democratically elected successor,

Wálter Guevara Wálter Guevara Arze (March 11, 1912 in Ayopaya Province, Cochabamba Department, Bolivia – June 20, 1996 in La Paz, Bolivia) was a Bolivian statesman, cabinet minister, writer, and diplomat, who served as the 54th president of Bolivia on ...

Campaign

Several alliances were formed for the elections: Juan Pereda was supported in his presidential bid by both the Nationalist Union of the People and the Nationalist Revolutionary Movement of the People, whilst René Bernal Escalante was the candidate of both the PDC–

PRB The retinoblastoma protein (protein name abbreviated pRb; gene name abbreviated ''Rb'', ''RB'' or ''RB1'') is a proto-oncogenic tumor suppressor protein that is dysfunctional in several major cancers. One function of pRb is to prevent excessive ...

alliance and the Eastern Rural Party.

Results

The official results were inconsistent; the reported total number of votes cast was 1,971,968, around 50,000 more than the number of registered voters (1,921,556), giving a turnout of 102.6%. However, the total of votes cast for each party and invalid votes was 1,990,671, nearly 20,000 higher than the reported total and representing a turnout of 103.6%.

Notes

References

{{Bolivian elections Annulled elections Elections in Bolivia

1978 in Bolivia Presidential elections in Bolivia