e. Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈuɣo rafaˈel ˈtʃaβes ˈfɾi.as] ⓘ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013 [b]) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period of forty-seven hours in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the.