National Unity Committee (Bolivia)

National Unity Committee Comité de Unidad Nacional
Abbreviation	CUN
Founded	November 1977
Registered	April 1978
Dissolved	April 1979
Ideology	National conservatism Technocracy
Political position	Right-wing
National affiliation	Nationalist Union of the People (1978)
Politics of Bolivia Political parties Elections

The National Unity Committee (Spanish: Comité de Unidad Nacional; CUN) was a political party in Bolivia that existed from 1977 to 1979. The party espoused national conservative and technocratic principles, and generally sat at the right wing of the political spectrum.

Established at the outset of the democratic transition in November 1977, the party primarily consisted of technocrats who had served in the government of Hugo Banzer. Led by Gastón Villa and later Ronald MacLean, it endorsed Banzer as its candidate for president before shifting its support to the regime's surrogate, Juan Pereda. The CUN was a component of the Nationalist Union of the People in the 1978 general election, and its leadership was responsible for the alliance's election manifesto.

The CUN won four seats in the Chamber of Deputies as part of Pereda's landslide victory. Following the annulment of the results due to electoral fraud, the party supported the coup d'état that propelled Pereda to the presidency. It held several posts in the Pereda administration and was responsible for two ministries in the president's cabinet, being the only party to remain in government by the end of Pereda's tenure.

Deposed alongside Pereda in another coup d'état in November 1978, the CUN faded into obscurity. Its membership was largely folded into Nationalist Democratic Action, founded by Banzer to contest the 1979 general election. Multiple past members, including MacLean, continued their political careers in the new party.

History

Background

The historian Gary Prado Salmón states that, at the height of military rule in Bolivia, from the mid-1960s to '70s, there were never more than fifty officers holding public office at a time. In contrast, "around every military leader, president, minister, or mayor, there were always technocrats" who advised on and proposed many of the policy measures enacted by the various regimes.^[1] In this period, mid-level technocrats co-opted many undersecretary positions within government ministries, as well as the boards of directors of state-owned enterprises.^[2] During the dictatorship of Hugo Banzer, who seized power in 1971,^[3] a burgeoning technocratic elite influenced by his ideology developed.^[4]

Establishment

In late 1977, Banzer initiated a carefully-managed democratic reopening.^[5] Having announced his intent to run in the upcoming election,^[6] Banzer began discussions with pro-government fronts for the establishment of a National Unity Party (PUN). The scheme – developed by the president's advisors – failed to convince the parties, who were unwilling to cede their independence to the regime.^[7]

In November, the National Unity Committee (CUN) was established under the auspices of Banzer.^[8] It was headed by Gastón Villa, who resigned his position as manager of the Bolivian Development Corporation [es] to lead the party.^[9] Ronald MacLean and Hermán Antelo were also lead figures in the party.^[10] Its leaders and membership were made up of civil servants and technocrats operating in the administration, in addition to private sector professionals sympathetic to the regime.^[11][α] Ideologically, the CUN supported the continuance of the political and economic model implemented by the Banzer administration.^[12] Its political programme, though extensive, eschewed making many formal commitments, states Prado.^[13]

For critics of the regime, the CUN was a transparent substitute for the failed PUN.^[14] Former president Luis Adolfo Siles described it as demonstrating Banzer's "elitist inclinations [and] arrogant paternalism". "Parties are not born from big business, but from the very heart of the people".^[15] Its members' perceived political opportunism and collaborationism, according to Prado, meant that "no one took their ideas seriously".^[16] For his part, Villa rejected the CUN's characterization as a "party of technocrats", stating that it had seen its most significant growth among the middle class. "I don't see why [technocrats] can't do politics; on the contrary, they can do it more efficiently", he added.^[17]

The CUN backed the candidacy of Banzer for the 1978 general election.^[18] Following Banzer's decision to drop out, the party pivoted to support Juan Pereda, the regime's endorsed candidate.^[19] Leaders of the CUN participated in negotiations with other parties to form a united front around Pereda,^[20] resulting in the formation of the Nationalist Union of the People (UNP) alongside several other parties in February 1978.^[21] The CUN wielded significant influence within the UNP, to the extent that Pereda invited Villa to direct the alliance's ideology department and draft its election manifesto. MacLean subsequently assumed party leadership after Villa stepped down to work on the UNP's platform.^[22]

The party initiated its organizing efforts in Trinidad, Beni, targeting university students, young professionals,^[23] and independents sympathetic to their policies. By late February, the CUN had expanded into Santa Cruz,^[24] and by mid-March, Villa stated that it had established branches in Cochabamba, Oruro, and Tarija.^[22] Regarding its growth, party member Antonio Ormachea declared that the CUN had "become, from an elite, a strong and massive current of political pressure".^[25] In April, the party was registered with the National Electoral Court.^[26]

In government

The CUN won four seats in the Chamber of Deputies in the congressional election that July: Villa, representing Chuquisaca; Ormachea, representing Potosí; and MacLean and Hugo Torres, representing Santa Cruz.^[27] Pereda's landslide victory in the concurrent presidential election, however, was marred by credible allegations of massive electoral fraud perpetuated by the regime. The results were consequently annulled amid rising unrest, leading Pereda and the UNP to overthrow Banzer and seize power in a coup d'état on 21 July.^[28]

The coup provoked the resignation of Villa as a party member due to his personal loyalty to Banzer.^[29] In contrast, the CUN under MacLean backed Pereda's takeover and assumed positions in government.^[30] MacLean and Juan Luzio became personal advisors to the president, as his legal advisor and private secretary, respectively, while Ormachea was appointed to serve on the National Board of Social Action.^[31] More significant, the CUN was given charge of a ministry in the president's cabinet, through the appointment of Jaime Larrazábal as minister of energy [es].^[32] In November, Pereda reshuffled his cabinet to include a majority of military officers. MacLean, designated minister of planning, was among just four non-officers appointed.^[33]

Even as other UNP member parties were expelled from the regime,^[34] the CUN remained aligned with Pereda. It was the lone non-signatory to the document that – citing Pereda's sidelining of civilian politicians – dissolved the UNP alliance.^[35] The CUN remained in government until it was toppled alongside the rest of Pereda's regime on 24 November, after another coup d'état led by the Armed Forces.^[36]

Dissolution and aftermath

In the wake of Pereda's ouster, the CUN was folded back into Banzer's political orbit.^[37][β] In 1979, Villa became a founding member of Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), which served as the political vehicle for Banzer to pursue his electoral ambitions.^[39] Figures like MacLean were incorporated into the party shortly thereafter.^[40] MacLean, in particular, went on to lead a prosperous political career in ADN, becoming mayor of La Paz.^[41] MacLean was affiliated with the party's "techno-bureaucratic" wing and became part of a sector of "pragmatic modernists" that attempted to transition ADN away from being a personalist party, to little success.^[42] He captured the party's presidential nomination in 2002 but lost the election by a wide margin.^[43]

Ideology

The CUN described itself as nationalist. Its platform, according to Villa, was "fundamentally focused" on intensive development of the primary sector, with large investments in agriculture and industry,^[44] especially in the Altiplano and Interandean Valles. The party was critical of past land reform, stating that the agrarian reform of 1953 needed to be accompanied by an "agrarian revolution" that significantly increased the level of state investment. These policies were pinpointed as the most viable path to economic growth.^[45]

The party supported the existing model of state capitalism wherein the public sector retained government ownership over a significant proportion of assets. Strategic sectors, such as the hydrocarbon, mining, and petrochemical industries, were to remain under state control, although only at a base level, with financial derivatives in the hands of the private sector or public–private partnerships. The party was more open to private investment in state-owned enterprises in other fields through the issuance of shares.^[45]

Electoral history

Year	Presidential ticket				Alliance		Votes			Result	Ref.
	Nominee		Running mate				Total	%	P.
1978		Juan Pereda		Alfredo Franco		UNP	986,140	50.90	1st	Annulled	[46]
Source: Plurinational Electoral Organ | Electoral Atlas

References

Notes

1. This article cites multiple individuals as being members of the party. For a full membership list, see Presencia 2 April 1978, p. 16.
2. The CUN is not cited in any sources as having formally disbanded. However, the party effectively dissolved as an entity after it was not re-registered to participate in the 1979 general election.^[38]

Citations

1. Prado 1987, pp. 502–503, "Alrededor de cada jefe militar, presidente, ministro o alcalde, hubo siempre tecnócratas ... que fueron quienes asesoraron".
2. Prado 1987, p. 441.
3. Rivadeneira 1984, p. 30.
4. Peñaranda 2004, pp. 20–21.
5. • Rivadeneira 1984, pp. 31−32.
   • Viscarra 1996, p. 163.
   • Peñaranda 2004, pp. 33−34.
6. Presencia 4 November 1977, p. 1.
7. • Rivadeneira 1984, p. 92.
   • Prado 1987, p. 441.
8. Rivadeneira 1984, p. 32.
9. Presencia 19 November 1977, p. 8.
10. Rivadeneira 1984, pp. 32, 93.
11. • Presencia 16 November 1977, p. 8.
    • Presencia 19 November 1977, p. 8.
12. Presencia 16 November 1977, p. 8.
13. Prado 1987, pp. 441–442.
14. Presencia 4 January 1978, p. 3.
15. Presencia 18 March 1978, p. 14, "El intento de Banzer de agrupar ... a un llamado Comité de Unidad ... muestra fehacientemente las inclinaciones elitistas de un paternalismo soberbio. Los partidos no nacen de las grandes empresas, sino desde el corazón mismo del pueblo".
16. Prado 1987, p. 442, "Nadie tom[ó] en serio sus planteamientos".
17. Presencia 11 March 1978, p. 4, "Es cierto que algunos miembros fundadores son profesionales, pero no veo que esos profesionales no puedan hacer politica, mas por el contrario, puden hacerlo con mayor eficiencia".
18. Presencia 31 March 1978, p. 8.
19. • Presencia 30 December 1977, p. 17.
    • Rivadeneira 1984, p. 93.
20. Presencia 8 December 1977, p. 1.
21. Presencia 19 February 1978, p. 1.
22. Presencia 11 March 1978, p. 4.
23. • Presencia 5 January 1978, p. 4.
    • Presencia 17 February 1978, p. 9.
24. Presencia 20 February 1978, p. 5.
25. Presencia 5 April 1978, p. 9, "El Comité de Unidad Nacional se ha convertido, de élite, en una fuerte y masiva corriente de presión política".
26. Presencia 21 April 1978, p. 1.
27. Presencia 14 July 1978, pp. 1, 14.
28. • Rivadeneira 1984, p. 32.
    • Prado 1987, pp. 460−463.
    • Viscarra 1996, pp. 164−166.
    • Peñaranda 2004, p. 40.
29. Presencia 24 July 1978, p. 13.
30. Viscarra 1996, p. 166.
31. Presencia 27 July 1978, p. 1.
32. Presencia 25 July 1978, p. 10.
33. Presencia 7 November 1978, p. 1.
34. Prado 1987, pp. 472−474.
35. Presencia 21 November 1978, p. 11.
36. • Rivadeneira 1984, p. 32.
    • Prado 1987, pp. 476−477.
    • Viscarra 1996, p. 166.
37. Rivadeneira 1984, p. 93.
38. Presencia 27 March 1979, pp. 1, 17.
39. Peñaranda 2004, p. 43.
40. Peñaranda 2004, p. 45.
41. Peñaranda 2004, p. 19.
42. Peñaranda 2004, pp. 45, 95–96.
43. Peñaranda 2004, pp. 191–197.
44. Presencia 11 March 1978, p. 4, "Nuestra política está enfocada fundamentalmente a un desarrollo agropecuario intensivo".
45. Presencia 19 May 1978, p. 3.
46. Atlas Electoral 2012, p. 20.

Works cited

Print publications

• "A cien días de las elecciones" [One Hundred Days Until the Elections]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 31 March 1978. p. 8.
• "Actualidad política: CUN corriente de masas" [Political News: CUN Mass Current]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 5 April 1978. p. 9.
• "Al cabo de laboriosas gestiones políticas, juró equipo ministerial" [After Laborious Political Negotiations, Ministerial Team Was Sworn In]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 25 July 1978. pp. 1, 10.
• "Banzer renunciará a fin de año para habilitarse como candidato" [Banzer to Resign at End of Year to Become Candidate]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 4 November 1977. p. 1.
• "Cincuenta y siete partidos registrados para participar en las eleciones" [Fifty-Seven Parties Registered to Participate in the Elections]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 27 March 1979. pp. 1, 17.
• Comité de Unidad Nacional (30 December 1977). "Alternabilidad en el proceso de la revolución boliviana" [Alternation in the Process of the Bolivian Revolution]. Presencia (press release) (in Spanish). La Paz. p. 17.
• Comité de Unidad Nacional (2 April 1978). "CUN es presente, CUN es futuro" [CUN Is the Present, CUN Is Future]. Presencia (press release) (in Spanish). La Paz. p. 16.
• "Comité de Unidad Nacional en proceso de constitución" [National Unity Committee in the Process of Being Established]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 16 November 1977. p. 8.
• "Comité de Unidad tomó contacto con un grupo de profesionales benianos" [Unity Committee Contacted a Group of Professionals From Beni]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 5 January 1978. p. 4.
• "Concluye cómputo en siete distritos y Pereda gana mayoría congresa" [Counting Concludes in Seven Districts and Pereda Wins Congressional Majority]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 14 July 1978. pp. 1, 14.
• "CUN organiza frente político en Santa Cruz" [CUN Organizes Political Front in Santa Cruz]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 20 February 1978. p. 5.
• "El CUN en Trinidad" [The CUN in Trinidad]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 17 February 1978. p. 9.
• "Expone: Comité de Unidad Nacional" [Presenting: National Unity Committee]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 19 May 1978. p. 3.
• "Niegan la posibilidad de que FSB pase a integrar el Comité de Unidad Nacional" [No Possibility of the FSB Joining the National Unity Committee]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 11 March 1978. p. 4.
• "Nuevo gabinete aprobará medidas económicas y político-electorales" [New Cabinet to Approve Economic and Political-Electoral Measures]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 7 November 1978. p. 1.
• "Pereda fue restituido a las Fuerzas Armadas" [Pereda Reinstated in the Armed Forces]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 27 July 1978. p. 1.
• "Pereda no consideró todavía el anuncio de disolución de la UNP" [Pereda Yet to Consider Announcement of the Dissolution of the UNP]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 21 November 1978. p. 11.
• "Presentó renuncia gerente de la CBF" [CBF Manager Resigned]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 19 November 1977. p. 8.
• Roque Bacarreza, Francisco (4 January 1978). "Política pugna por el poder a través de las elecciones" [Politics Fights for Power Through Elections]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. p. 3.
• "Seis grupos políticos apoyan al Gral. Pereda" [Six Political Groups Support General Pereda]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 19 February 1978. p. 1.
• "Se organiza frente oficial para próximas elecciones" [Pro-Government Front Organized for Upcoming Elections]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 8 December 1977. p. 1.
• Siles Salinas, Luis Adolfo (18 March 1978). "Banzer y Pereda deben renunciar" [Banzer and Pereda Must Resign]. Presencia (press release) (in Spanish). La Paz. p. 14.
• "Veinte partidos inscritos para participar en las elecciones" [Twenty Parties Registered to Participate in the Elections]. Presencia (in Spanish). La Paz. 21 April 1978. p. 1.
• Villa Álvarez, Gastón (24 July 1978). "Comunicado al Consejo Consultivo del Comité de Unidad Nacional" [Communiqué to the Advisory Committee of the National Unity Committee]. Presencia (press release) (in Spanish). La Paz. p. 13.

Books and encyclopedias

• García Orellana, Alberto; García Yapur, Fernando L., eds. (2012). Atlas electoral de Bolivia: Elecciones generales 1979–2009; Asamblea Constituyente 2006 (in Spanish). Vol. I (2nd ed.). La Paz: OEP; PNUD-Bolivia; IDEA Internacional. ISBN 978-99905-928-1-8. OCLC 931433259.
• Peñaranda Bojanić, Martha (2004). Historia de un partido: Vida, ritmos y tiempos de ADN (in Spanish). La Paz: EDOBOL. OCLC 254750497.
• Prado Salmón, Gary (1987). Poder y Fuerzas Armadas (1949–1982) (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Cochabamba: Editorial Los Amigos del Libro. ISBN 84-8370-063-8. OCLC 382651803.
• Rivadeneira Prada, Raúl (1984). El laberinto político de Bolivia (in Spanish). La Paz: Editorial CINCO. OCLC 12100279.
• Viscarra Pando, Gonzalo (1996). La voz del silencio: Medio siglo de historia caliente (in Spanish). Cochabamba. OCLC 37976507.