Stroessner, Alfredo (älfrā`thō shtrs`nər), 1912–2006, president and dictator of Paraguay (1954–89). Of a German Paraguayan family, he was commissioned an officer (1932) and fought in the Chaco War (1932–35). Named commander in chief of the armed forces (1951), he engineered the coup (1954) that toppled Federico Chávez and became president that same year. Retaining command of the armed forces, he suppressed all opposition, and turned Paraguay into a refuge for Nazi war criminals. He was "reelected" eight consecutive times (1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988) making his rule the longest in 20th-century Latin American history. With Brazil, he built the Itaipú dam on the Paraná River; its power plant, the world's largest hydroelectric station, dramatically increasing export revenues through the sale of electricity. Though essentially authoritarian, he gradually permitted opposition political activity. He was overthrown in a military coup (1989) and spent the rest of his life in exile in Brazil.

Stroessner (Matiauda), Alfredo

(born Nov. 3, 1912, Encarnación, Para.—died Aug. 16, 2006, Brasília, Braz.) Military leader and president of Paraguay (1954–89). The son of a German immigrant, Stroessner joined the army in 1932 and rose to become commander in chief in 1951. He deposed Pres. Federico Chávez (b. 1881?—d. 1978) in 1954 and was the sole candidate in the presidential elections later that year. He stabilized the currency, moderated inflation, and provided some new schools and public health facilities, but he spent half the national income on the military establishment in order to preserve his authority. He also participated in Operation Condor, a clandestine campaign coordinated by several South American rulers to eliminate their opponents. After his election to an eighth successive term, Stroessner was deposed in a coup d'état and went into exile.