39 Facts About Ollanta Humala

Ollanta Moises Humala Tasso is a Peruvian politician and former military officer who served as President of Peru from 2011 to 2016.

Ollanta Humala entered the Peruvian Army in 1981, eventually achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In October 2000, Ollanta Humala attempted an unsuccessful coup d'etat against President Alberto Fujimori during the dying days of his regime; eventually, the Congress of the Republic of Peru granted him amnesty and Ollanta Humala was allowed to return to military duty.

In 2005, Ollanta Humala entered electoral politics, founding the Peruvian Nationalist Party in order to run in the 2006 Peruvian general election.

Ollanta Humala's campaign received widespread international attention in 2006 given the pink tide in Latin America.

In 2017, Ollanta Humala was arrested by Peruvian authorities on corruption charges.

Ollanta Humala's mother is Elena Tasso, from an old Italian family established in Peru at the end of the 19th century.

Ollanta Humala is the brother of Antauro Humala, now serving a 25-year prison sentence for kidnapping 17 Police officers for 3 days and killing 4 of them and in 2020 was responsible for the removal of former President Martin Vizcarra, and professor Ulises Humala.

Ollanta Humala was born in Peru and attended the French-Peruvian school Franco-Peruano, and later the "Colegio Cooperativo La Union," established by part of the Peruvian-Japanese community in Lima.

Ollanta Humala began his military career in 1980 when he entered the Chorrillos Military School, like his brother Antauro.

Ollanta Humala graduated as an Artillery lieutenant on January 1,1984, forming part of the "Heroes of Pucara and Marcavalle" class.

In 1991, with the rank of captain, Ollanta Humala served in Tingo Maria, Huanuco fighting the remnants of the Shining Path and in 1995 he served in the Cenepa War on the border with Ecuador.

In October 2000, Ollanta Humala led an uprising in Toquepala against Alberto Fujimori on his last days as President due to multiple corruption scandals.

Many of Ollanta Humala's men deserted him, leaving him only 7 soldiers.

Ollanta Humala was sent as military attache to Paris, then to Seoul until December 2004, when he was forcibly retired.

Ollanta Humala's forced retirement is suspected to have partly motivated an etnocacerista rebellion of Andahuaylas led by his brother Antauro Humala in January 2005.

In 2002, Ollanta Humala received a master's degree in Political Science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

In October 2005 Ollanta Humala created the Partido Nacionalista Peruano and ran for the presidency in 2006 with the support of Union for Peru.

Ollanta Humala said that after being the UPP presidential candidate in 1995, he had not had any further contact with UPP and therefore did not take part in choosing Humala as the party's presidential candidate for the 2006 elections.

On 17 March 2006, Ollanta Humala's campaign came under some controversy as his father, Issac Ollanta Humala, said "If I was President, I would grant amnesty to him and the other incarcerated members of the Shining Path".

Ollanta Humala made similar statements about amnesty for Victor Polay, the leader of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, and other leaders of the MRTA.

Different Peruvian media opposed to Ollanta Humala, indicated at a certain point that the Canarian journalist Ramon Perez Almodovar would be advising the presidential candidate for the second electoral round, an accusation that was denied by the journalist, although he admitted that he was participating in the campaign.

Ollanta Humala immediately responded to the charges by accusing Montesinos of being in collaboration with Garcia's Aprista Party with an intention to undermine his candidacy.

Montesinos went on to state that Ollanta Humala "is not a new ideologist or political reformer, but he is an instrument".

On 24 May 2006, Ollanta Humala warned of possible voter fraud in the upcoming second round elections scheduled for 4 June.

Alan Garcia responded by stating that Ollanta Humala was "crying fraud" because the polls show him losing the second round.

The split came after Ollanta Humala called on leftist parties to form an alliance with the UPP to become the principal opposition party in Congress.

Ollanta Humala stated that the opposition would work to "make sure Garcia complies with his electoral promises" and again stated that he would not boycott Garcia's inauguration on 28 July 2006.

On 16 August 2006, prosecutors in Peru filed charges against Ollanta Humala for alleged human rights abuses including forced disappearance, torture, and murder against Shining Path guerillas during his service in San Martin.

Ollanta Humala responded by denying the charges and stating that he was "a victim of political persecution".

Ollanta Humala said the charges were "orchestrated by the Alan Garcia administration to neutralize any alternative to his power".

Ollanta Humala ran again in the Peruvian general election on 10 April 2011, with Marisol Espinoza his candidate for First Vice President and Omar Chehade as Second Vice President.

Ollanta Humala campaigned as a center-left leader with the desire to help to create a more equitable framework for distributing the wealth from the country's key natural resources, with the goal of maintaining foreign investment and economic growth in the country while working to improve the condition of an impoverished majority.

Three days after his election, Ollanta Humala undertook a Latin American tour to meet with the heads of state of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, the United States, Venezuela, Mexico and Cuba.

Ollanta Humala expressed sympathy for the regime of Juan Velasco Alvarado, which took power in a bloodless military coup on 3 October 1968, and nationalized various Peruvian industries whilst pursuing a favorable foreign policy with Cuba and the Soviet Union.

Ollanta Humala visited Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and Venezuela.

President Ollanta Humala rejected the implication and has avoided speaking to the media on the matter.

President Ollanta Humala denied the charge and avoided questions from the media on that matter.

Ollanta Humala was being investigated under restricted appearance, allegedly accused of money laundering to the detriment of the State and of illicit association to commit a crime, among others.