Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Alfredo Enrique Peralta Azurdia (June 17, 1908 – February 18, 1997) was

President of Guatemala The president of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de Guatemala), officially known as the President of the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de la República de Guatemala), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a s ...

from March 31, 1963 to July 1, 1966. Enrique Peralta was born on June 17, 1908 in

Guatemala City Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...

. He took over the presidency after a coup against president Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes, under whom he served as Agriculture (1959–1960) and Defense Minister (1961–1963). He set up the

Institutional Democratic Party The Institutional Democratic Party ( es, Partido Institucional Democrático, PID) was a Guatemalan pro-government political party active during the 1970s. The PID was formed in 1963 by Enrique Peralta Azurdia after he had seized power in a coup. ...

, a pro-military governing party modeled on the

Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party ( es, Partido Revolucionario Institucional, ; abbr. PRI) is a political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 and held uninterrupted power in the country for 71 years, from 1929 to 2000, first as the Nati ...

, which dominated Guatemalan politics until 1982. In the 1978 election, he was the candidate of the National Liberation Movement but was defeated by

Fernando Romeo Lucas García General Fernando Romeo Lucas García (4 July 1924 – † 27 May 2006) was the 37th President of Guatemala from July 1, 1978 to March 23, 1982. He was elected as Institutional Democratic Party candidate (with the support of the Revolutionary P ...

References

Presidents of Guatemala People of the Guatemalan Civil War Political party founders People from Guatemala City Guatemalan military personnel 1908 births 1997 deaths Defense Ministers of Guatemala Agriculture ministers of Guatemala {{Guatemala-politician-stub