Manuel Odría

Manuel Arturo Odría Amoretti (26 November 1896 – 18 February 1974) was a military officer who served as the 45th President of Peru. He ousted President José Luis Bustamante y Rivero in the 1948 Peruvian coup d'état and seized power. He prevented other candidates from contesting the 1950 Peruvian general election, which he won with 100% of the vote as the sole candidate.

He ruled as a dictator, repressing the political opposition. Amid pressure, he was forced to call general elections for 1956, where the presidential elections were won by Manuel Prado Ugarteche. These included an expansion of social security, extra fringe benefits for workers, food price subsidies, and the building of new schools, hospitals, and housing estates. At the same time, however, civil rights in the nation were severely restricted and corruption was rampant throughout his régime. People feared that his dictatorship would run indefinitely; they were surprised when Odría legalized opposition parties in 1956 and called fresh elections. He did not run for office. He favored Hernando de Lavalle y Garcia in the election.

During the Belaúnde administration, Odría made an alliance with Haya de la Torre to create a single opposition block in Parliament, which became known as the APRA-UNO Coalition. As a political force, they managed to create strong parliamentary opposition to President Belaúnde, who was forced to make important concessions to the Coalition in order to get most of his party-sponsored legislation enacted. The Coalition suffered a setback after losing the elections for mayor in the capital, Lima.

Later life and death After the military coup that overthrew Belaúnde in 1968, Odría kept a low profile in Peruvian politics until his death in 1974.

Personal life Odría has descendants currently active in Peruvian politics. They are Enrique Odría Sotomayor and Brenda Odria Loayza,