José Manuel Pando becomes President of Bolivia from the governing junta (October 1899)

Background. Pando was a Bolivian military officer and politician who led the Federalists when they rose up against the government in 1898. He obtained the support of the Aymaras of the country and of Colonel Pablo Zárate Willca, known as the "Fearsome Willka". Following the conflict, a governing board held power until the National Convention of 1899, where Pando was elected president.

Presidential Transition. The National Convention of 1899 dissolved the governing board and elected Pando president. He served as the 25th president of Bolivia from 1899 to 1904. The Bolivian seat of government moved to La Paz at the start of the twentieth century, a consequence of Sucre's relative remoteness from economic activity after the decline of Potosí and its silver industry, and of the Liberal Party in the War of 1899 — a development after, not at, Pando's accession.