Ollanta Humala facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ollanta Humala
Humala in 2016
58th President of Peru
In office 28 July 2011 – 28 July 2016
Prime Minister	See list Salomón Lerner Ghitis Oscar Valdés Juan Jiménez Mayor César Villanueva René Cornejo Ana Jara Pedro Cateriano
Vice President	First Vice President Marisol Espinoza Second Vice President Omar Chehade (2011 – 2012) Vacant (2012 – 2016)
Preceded by	Alan García
Succeeded by	Pedro Pablo Kuczynski
President of the Peruvian Nationalist Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 August 2016
Preceded by	Nadine Heredia
In office 3 October 2005 – 30 December 2013
Preceded by	Office created
Succeeded by	Nadine Heredia
Additional positions President pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations In office 29 June 2012 – 30 August 2013 Preceded by Fernando Lugo Succeeded by Dési Bouterse President pro tempore of the Pacific Alliance In office 3 July 2015 – 1 July 2016 Preceded by Enrique Peña Nieto Succeeded by Michelle Bachelet
Personal details
Born	(1962-06-27) 27 June 1962 (age 62) Lima, Peru
Nationality	Peruvian
Political party	Peruvian Nationalist Party
Other political affiliations	Peru Wins (2010–2012) Union for Peru (2006)
Spouse	Nadine Heredia ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	3
Alma mater	Chorrillos Military School (BS) Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (MA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Peru
Branch/service	Peruvian Army
Years of service	1981–2005
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	Internal conflict in Peru Cenepa War

Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso ( born 27 June 1962) is a Peruvian politician and former military officer who served as President of Peru from 2011 to 2016. Originally a socialist and left-wing nationalist, he is considered to have shifted towards neoliberalism and the political centre during his presidency. In 2025, he and his wife Nadine Heredia were sentenced to 15 years in jail for money laundering involving Brazilian company Odebrecht.

Born to a prominent political family affiliated with the ethnocacerist movement, Humala is the son of famed Quechua labour lawyer Isaac Humala. Humala entered the Peruvian Army in 1981, eventually achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. During his time in the military, he fought in the internal conflict against left-wing terrorist group Shining Path as well as in the Cenepa War with neighboring Ecuador. In October 2000, Humala attempted an unsuccessful coup d'etat against President Alberto Fujimori during the dying days of his regime; eventually, the Congress of the Republic of Peru granted him amnesty and Humala was allowed to return to military duty.

In 2005, Humala entered electoral politics, founding the Peruvian Nationalist Party (PNP) in order to run in the 2006 Peruvian general election. Having received first place in the first round, he faced former centre-left president and Peruvian Aprista Party nominee Alan García in the second round, ultimately losing by a narrow margin. His campaign received widespread international attention in 2006 given the pink tide in Latin America. In the 2011 Peruvian general election, he narrowly defeated Keiko Fujimori in the runoff.

To assuage fears of potential radical policies, Humala began his term by choosing centrists for positions in his cabinet. Humala's unpopular presidency was dominated by corruption scandals surrounding him and his politically influential wife Nadine Heredia. Environmentalists were highly critical of Humala's mining policies, and argued that he reneged on his campaign promise to rein in mining companies.

In 2017, Humala was arrested by Peruvian authorities on corruption charges. Humala attempted a political comeback in the 2021 presidential election, but only received 1.5% of the vote, finishing in 13th place.

Early life, family, and education

Humala was born in Lima, Peru on 27 June 1962. His father Isaac Humala, who is of Quechua ethnicity, is a labor lawyer, member of the Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland, and ideological leader of the Ethnocacerista movement. Ollanta's mother is Elena Tasso, from an old Italian family established in Peru at the end of the 19th century. He is the brother of Antauro Humala and professor Ulises Humala. Humala was born in Peru and attended the French-Peruvian school Franco-Peruano, and later the "Colegio Cooperativo La Union," established by part of the Peruvian-Japanese community in Lima.

He began his military career in 1980 when he entered the Chorrillos Military School, like his brother Antauro (who had done so a year earlier). In 1983, he was a student at the School of the Americas (SOA), in the cadet combat course. He graduated as an Artillery lieutenant on 1 January 1984, forming part of the "Heroes of Pucará and Marcavalle" class.

In 1997, he earned the graduate diploma of PADE in Business Administration from ESAN Graduate School of Business. In 2001, he completed a master's degree at the Center for Higher National Studies (CAEN) in National Defense and in 2002, he successfully completed a master's degree in political science at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Military career

In his military career, Humala was also involved in the two major Peruvian conflicts of the past 20 years, the battle against the insurgent organization Shining Path and the 1995 Cenepa War with Ecuador. In 1991, with the rank of captain, Humala served in Tingo María, Huanuco fighting the remnants of the Shining Path and in 1995 he served in the Cenepa War on the border with Ecuador.

2000 uprising

In October 2000, Humala led an uprising in Toquepala against Alberto Fujimori on his last days as president due to multiple corruption scandals. The main reason given for the rebellion was the capture of Vladimiro Montesinos, former intelligence chief who had fled Peru for asylum in Panama after being caught on video trying to bribe an opposition congressman. The return of Montesinos led to fears that he still had much power in Fujimori's government, so Humala and about 40 other Peruvian soldiers revolted against their senior army commander. Montesinos claims that the uprising facilitated his concurrent escape.

Many of Humala's men deserted him, leaving him only 7 soldiers. During the revolt, Humala called on Peruvian "patriots" to join him in the rebellion, and around 300 former soldiers led by his brother Antauro answered his call and were reported to have been in a convoy attempting to join up with Humala. The revolt gained some sympathy from the Peruvian populace with the influential opposition newspaper La República calling him "valiant and decisive, unlike most in Peru". The newspaper also had many letters sent in by readers with accolades to Ollanta and his men.

In the aftermath, the Army sent hundreds of soldiers to capture the rebels. Even so, Humala and his men managed to hide until President Fujimori was impeached from office a few days later and Valentín Paniagua was named interim president. Finally, on 10 December, both brothers surrendered, being transferred to Lima, where they surrendered to the Second Judicial Zone of the country. The opening of the process was ruled for rebellion, sedition and insult to the superior. The lawyer Javier Valle Riestra requested an amnesty for the Humala, alleging that they had exercised the "right to insurrection against an illegitimate and totalitarian government." On 21 December 2000, Congress granted them the requested amnesty, which was extended to military and civilian personnel who participated in the insurrection and Humala was allowed to return to military duty.

Post-Fujimori regime

He was sent as military attaché to Paris, then to Seoul until December 2004, when he was forcibly retired. His forced retirement is suspected to have partly motivated an etnocacerista rebellion of Andahuaylas led by his brother Antauro Humala in January 2005.

In 2002, Humala received a master's degree in political science from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Political career

2006 presidential campaign

In October 2005 Humala created the Partido Nacionalista Peruano (the Peruvian Nationalist Party) and ran for the presidency in 2006 with the support of Union for Peru (UPP).

On 9 April 2006, the first round of the Peruvian national election was held. Humala came in first place getting 30.62% of the valid votes, and immediately began preparing to face Alan García, who obtained 24.32%, in a runoff election on 4 June.

On 4 June 2006, the second round of the Peruvian elections were held. With 77% of votes counted and Humala behind García 45.5% to 55.5% respectively, Humala conceded defeat to Alan García and congratulated his opponent's campaign stating at a news conference "we recognise the results...and we salute the forces that competed against us, those of Mr Garcia".

Post-election

On 12 June 2006, Carlos Torres Caro, Humala's vice presidential running mate and elected Congressman for the Union for Peru (UPP), stated that a faction of the UPP would split off from the party after disagreements with Humala to create what Torres calls a "constructive opposition". The split came after Humala called on leftist parties to form an alliance with the UPP to become the principal opposition party in Congress. Humala had met with representatives of the Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland and the New Left Movement. Humala stated that the opposition would work to "make sure Garcia complies with his electoral promises" and again stated that he would not boycott García's inauguration on 28 July 2006.

On 16 August 2006, prosecutors in Peru filed charges against Humala for alleged human rights abuses. Humala responded by denying the charges and stating that he was "a victim of political persecution". He said the charges were "orchestrated by the Alan Garcia administration to neutralize any alternative to his power".

2011 election

Humala with his wife

Humala ran again in the Peruvian general election on 10 April 2011, with Marisol Espinoza his candidate for First Vice President and Omar Chehade as Second Vice President.

For these elections, he formed the electoral alliance "Gana Peru", around the already existing Peruvian Nationalist Party. Later, he signed a political agreement with several left-wing parties such as the Peruvian Communist Party, the Socialist Party, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, the Socialist Voice Political Movement, and an important sector of the Lima for All Political Movement.

Humala was in first place in the first round held on 10 April, obtaining 31.72% of the total valid votes. Because he did not manage to exceed 50% of the valid votes, he went on to a second round with the candidate Keiko Fujimori, which took place on 5 June.

On 19 May, at National University of San Marcos and with the support of many Peruvian intellectuals and artists (including Mario Vargas Llosa with reservations), Ollanta Humala signed the "Compromiso en Defensa de la Democracia". He campaigned as a center-left leader with the desire to help to create a more equitable framework for distributing the wealth from the country's key natural resources, with the goal of maintaining foreign investment and economic growth in the country while working to improve the condition of an impoverished majority.

Going into the 5 June runoff election, he was polling in a statistical tie with opponent Keiko Fujimori. He was elected the 94th president of Peru with 51.5% of the vote.

Three days after his election, Humala undertook a Latin American tour to meet with the heads of state of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, the United States, Venezuela, Mexico and Cuba.

Presidency (2011–2016)

Humala meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in Tokyo, 9 May 2012

After the news of the election of Ollanta as president the Lima Stock Exchange experienced its largest drop ever, though it later stabilised following the announcement of Humala's cabinet appointees, who were judged to be moderate and in line with continuity. However he was also said to have inherited "a ticking time bomb of disputes stemming in large part from objections by indigenous groups to the damage to water supplies, crops and hunting grounds wrought by mining, logging and oil and gas extraction" from Alan Garcia. Though he promised the "poor and disenfranchised" Peruvians a bigger stake in the rapidly growing national economy, his "mandate for change...[was seen as] a mandate for moderate change"; his moderation was reflected in his "orthodox" cabinet appointees and his public oath on the Bible to respect investor rights, rule of law and the constitution. He was sworn in on 28 July 2011.

As part of his "social inclusion" rhetoric during the campaign, his government, led by Prime Minister Salomon Lerner Ghitis, established the Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion in order to coordinate the efficacy of his social programmes. Lerner Ghitis later resigned on 10 December 2011, and was succeeded by Óscar Valdés Dancuart.

On 23 July 2012, Juan Jiménez Mayor became president of a new ministerial cabinet, the third in less than a year.

On 24 July 2013, with the appointment of three new ministers (Mónica Rubio García in Development and Social Inclusion, Magali Silva in Foreign Trade and Tourism, and Diana Álvarez Calderón in Culture), it was achieved, for the first time in the history of Peru, gender equality in the formation of a ministerial cabinet (9 men and 9 women, apart from the prime minister).

On 31 October 2013, César Villanueva, who until then served as president of the Regional Government of San Martín, was sworn in as the fourth President of the Council of Ministers of the Humala government.

On 24 February 2014, the fifth ministerial cabinet was sworn in, chaired by René Cornejo, who until then had served as Minister of Housing, Construction and Sanitation. After two unsuccessful attempts, this cabinet finally won the vote of confidence in Congress, in the session held on 17 March.

On 22 July 2014 René Cornejo resigned, being replaced by Ana Jara, who until then was the head of the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion, an office that was taken over by the ruling congressman Fredy Otárola. With only these changes, the sixth cabinet of the government of President Humala was sworn in.

On 30 March 2015, the full Congress censured Prime Minister Ana Jara and her entire cabinet, with 72 votes in favor, 42 against and 2 abstentions. Something similar had not happened since 1963, when the parliament censured the cabinet chaired by Julio Óscar Trelles Montes. The argument used against Jara was the monitoring of politicians, businessmen and journalists by the National Intelligence Directorate (DINI). Pedro Cateriano replaced Jara as Prime Minister on 2 April 2015.

Originally considered to be a socialist and left-wing nationalist, he is considered to have shifted towards neoliberalism and the political centre during his presidency.

Ideology

Ollanta Humala expressed sympathy for the regime of Juan Velasco Alvarado, which took power in a bloodless military coup on 3 October 1968, and nationalized various Peruvian industries whilst pursuing a favorable foreign policy with Cuba and the Soviet Union.

During his presidential candidacy in 2006 and his run for the presidency that he ultimately won in 2011, Humala was closely affiliated with other pink tide leaders in Latin America in general and South America in particular. Prior to taking office in 2011, he toured several countries in the Americas where he notably expressed the idea of re-uniting the Peru–Bolivian Confederation. He also visited Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and Venezuela.

Post-presidency (2016-present)

Arrest

During the Peruvian presidential election in February 2016, a report by the Brazilian Federal Police implicated Humala in bribery by Odebrecht for public works contracts. President Humala denied the charge and avoided questions from the media on that matter.

In July 2017, Humala and his wife were arrested and held in pre-trial detention following investigations into his involvement in the Odebrecht scandal. On 26 April 2018, by resolution of the Constitutional Court of Peru, he began his process of freedom. Following this, his wife was placed on house arrest while Humala had to report to court monthly.

In January 2019, Peruvian prosecutors stated that they had enough evidence to charge Humala and his wife with laundering money from both Odebrecht and the government of Venezuela. In May 2019, the Prosecutor's Office requested 20 years in prison for him and 26 years for his wife, Nadine Heredia. The process also reaches several relatives close to the former presidential partner. The case is in prosecution control.

Ollanta Humala was investigated under restricted appearance, allegedly accused of money laundering to the detriment of the State and of illicit association to commit a crime, among others. However, Odebrecht's main projects were carried out under the presidencies of Alberto Fujimori and Alan García. In February 2022, Humala and his wife faced trial for alleged money laundering related to Odebrecht, facing accusations that the two received $3 million during the 2006 and 2011 elections. Both denied their involvement.

On 15 April 2025, Humala and Heredia were convicted and sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for money laundering over their involvement in the Odebrecht scandal. Heredia and their then-underage son, Samin Mallko Ollanta Humala Heredia, fled to Brazil's capital Brasília after the country granted diplomatic asylum the next day.

Publications

• Ollanta Humala: From Locumba to Presidential Candidate in Peru (2009)
• Ollanta Uniting Peru: the great transformation: Peru of all of us: government plan, 2006-2011 (2006) (Collaborator)

Awards and decorations

•  Argentina:
  • Collar of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín (12 November 2012)
•  Colombia:
  • Grand Collar of the Order of Boyaca (11 February 2014)
•  Panama:
  • Collar of the Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero (28 April 2014)
•  Portugal:
  • Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (19 November 2012)
•  Qatar:
  • Collar of the Order of the Independence (14 February 2013)
•  South Korea:
  • Recipient of the Grand Order of Mugunghwa (2015)
•  Spain:
  • Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (7 July 2015)

Electoral history

See also

In Spanish: Ollanta Humala para niños

• Presidency of Ollanta Humala