Herrera Campíns, Luis (1925–2007)

Venezuelan politician and president 1979–84. During his presidency, he backed Argentina in its 1982 war with Britain over the Falkland Islands and used the country's oil wealth and heavy foreign borrowings to subsidize agriculture and industries. But oil exports weakened, the country's foreign debt increased, and it moved into a sharp economic recession.

Born in Acariqua, in Portuguesa state, his early career was in journalism and as a lawyer. In 1946, he cofounded, with Rafael Caldera, the Comité Organizado Por Elecciónes Independientes (COPEI). But in 1952 he was arrested and imprisoned for four months for participating in activist activities against the dictatorial administration of President Peréz Jiménez. He was a member of Congress 1959–78 and was elected president in December 1978, as the candidate of the COPEI party.