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| 1968, June 2 |
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| In the elections, Dr. José Velasco Ibarra, four-time former president, led the field with about one-third of the popular vote. He assumed the presidency (Sept. 1). | 1 |
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| 1969, March |
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| Establishment of trade relations with the USSR. | 2 |
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| 1970, Oct. 27 |
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| Kidnapping of Gen. César Rohan Sandoval, chief of the air force, by guerrillas. Martial law was proclaimed, and Gen. Rohan was released a few days later (Nov. 1). | 3 |
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| 1972, Feb. 15 |
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| Fearing that popular candidate Assad Bucaram would be elected president, the military installed Gen. Guillermo Rodríguez Lara as president. Rodríguez Lara then expelled the American military mission and initiated a minor agrarian reform. | 4 |
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| 1974, June 6 |
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| Rodríguez Lara expropriated 4 million hectares of oil holdings from Texaco and Gulf. Although initially these expropriations and Ecuador's membership in OPEC led to a jump in government revenue, the foreign companies retaliated and forced reductions in the price and taxes on oil. | 5 |
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| July 11 |
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| All political parties and elections were suspended for a five-year period of “national development.” | 6 |
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