About Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García
Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García (24 January 1930 – 9 December 2009) was a Guatemalan military officer who served as the 36th president of Guatemala from 1974 until 1978. A member of the National Liberation Movement, he previously served as General Staff of the Army from 1970 to 1972 and Minister of national defence from 1972 to 1973 under President Carlos Arana Osorio. His presidency, which occurred during the Civil War, was characterized by being more tolerant of the opposition, by his efficient response to the 1976 earthquake and an increase in oil exploitation in the Northern Transversal Strip. == Early life and career == === Early life === Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García was born on 24 January 1930. He was the son of a Norwegian father and a Guatemalan mother. === Military career === During his military career, Laugerud received part of his training in the United States, attending classes at Fort Benning, Georgia, and at Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He would hold important positions such as the management of the Polytechnic School, as a delegate to the Inter-American Defense Board between 1968 and 1970, and as the head of the Army General Staff. During the presidency of Carlos Arana Osorio, Laugerud was promoted to general and appointed Minister of Defense. === 1974 presidential campaign === Laugerud became a candidate for the 1974 general election, running on the endorsement of the National Liberation Movement-Institutional Democratic Party coalition (MLN-PID). In the second round of elections, Laugerud defeated Efraín Ríos Montt, candidate of the Guatemalan Christian Democracy party.
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