THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL WORLD LEADERS OF ALL TIME

7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7

His platform proved popular with the poor, who accounted
for some 80 percent of the population, and Chávez won a
landslide victory.
After taking office in 1999, Chávez oversaw the passage
of a new constitution that greatly expanded his powers,
reorganized the judiciary, and replaced the existing legis-
lature with the National Assembly. He also increased
control of the oil industry, using its revenues to fund his
“Bolivarian Revolution,” which included free education,
low-cost housing, and health care. The creation of a new
legislature led to another round of national elections in
2000, and Chávez won a landslide victory amid charges of
electoral fraud. Critics accused him of assuming dictato-
rial powers, and a series of antigovernment strikes
culminated in a military coup on April 12, 2002, in which
Chávez was ousted. Two days later, however, he was
returned to power. Unrest with his government continued,
and opponents forced a recall election in August 2004.
Backed by the urban poor and rural peasants, Chávez eas-
ily won the election.
Much of Chávez’s foreign policy centred on strength-
ening ties with other Latin American countries, especially
Cuba. Following the 2002 coup, which he claimed was
supported by the U.S. government, Chávez’s relationship
with the United States grew highly contentious. He
adopted anti-American rhetoric, threatened to end oil
sales to the United States, and purchased arms and other
military equipment—acquisitions he claimed were neces-
sary to defend Venezuela from the “imperialistic power.”
In December 2006, Chávez was reelected to a third
term, capturing 63 percent of the vote. He continued his
efforts to turn Venezuela into a socialist state and promoted
a program that included the takeover of the petroleum sec-
tor in 2007 and the nationalization of telecommunications,
electricity, steel, and cement companies in 2008. At the