Gen Efraín Ríos Montt, who has died aged 91, added an extra ingredient to the mix: he was a Protestant fundamentalist with a mission to save the country – even the continent – for Jesus. Ríos Montt was cheated of what was widely believed to have been a victory and the official candidate, Gen Kjell Laugerud, declared the winner. Ríos Montt was invited to take part in a three-man ruling junta, which promptly annulled the constitution, banned political parties and dissolved congress. Whatever his other peculiarities, in that respect Ríos Montt was just a run-of-the-mill tyrant. • José Efraín Ríos Montt, military leader and politician, born 16 June 1926; died 1 April 2018

Source: The Guardian April 02, 2018 12:00 UTC