Ronaldo Bexar (Napoleon's World)

Ronaldo Bexar Burgos (born October 1, 1927) is a retired Chilean military figure and politician, best known for serving as Minister of Defence in three consecutive governments from 1989-1998, making him a key figure in the Chilean transition to democracy. He was a lifelong soldier who was critical in purging the Chilean Army of Communists in the 1980's and was one of the three leaders of the February 1989 coup d'etat that officially ended the Communist regime. A political moderate, Bexar ran as the candidate of the National Party in the 1990 election, placing third in total votes in a field of eleven candidates and failing to reach the runoff. He served as the transitional Defense Minister, and was retained in that role by both Presidents Aylwin and Besa. Bexar was encouraged by some to represent the National Party in the 1998 elections, but he declined despite the fact that he would likely have won the election outright. Since retirement after leaving the Defense Ministry, Bexar has been a public speaker, professor and author, and briefly accepted a role as the Chilean Ambassador to Oceania from 2000 to 2002 in the Lagos administration.