In the 1940s he became involved in the nascent
labor movement and joined the
Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR), a
Trotskyist political party. In 1944, Lechín led a congress of miners in Huanuni,
Oruro, that led to the formation of the FSTMB. Lechín was elected the union's Executive Secretary. At this point, he became affiliated with the
Revolutionary Nationalist Movement (MNR), though he maintained good relations with the Trotskyist POR. Following the 1952 Bolivian National Revolution, Lechín was chosen as Minister of Mines and Petroleum (1952-1956). He also led the founding congress of the
Central Obrera Boliviana (COB), an umbrella federation of labor unions, and was elected its Executive Secretary. Since he had played a vital role in the Revolution, and had advocated the permanent extension of weapons to the workers' militias to guarantee regime stability against the possibility of an oligarchic/military backlash, he became extremely popular with the poorer sectors of society. Indeed, he was the most charismatic and popular MNR leader other than
Víctor Paz Estenssoro. In addition, he was of far more radical political persuasion (Marxist-inspired) than the rest of the government leadership. This inevitably led to growing intra-party tensions and disagreements over labor issues and personal ambitions. He was elected to the
Senate of Bolivia from 1956 to 1960. In frank disagreement with what he saw as the increasingly conservative policies of president
Hernán Siles Zuazo, by the late 1950s Lechín had begun to form a left-wing opposition within the ruling party. To reduce these tensions and prevent fragmentation, Paz was persuaded to return from retirement and lead the MNR in the 1960 presidential elections. The conciliatory Paz chose Lechín as his
vice-presidential candidate, apparently with a promise that Lechín would be the presidential candidate in 1964. Lechín took the office of
Vice President after the elections. However, he was "exiled" as ambassador to Italy from December 1962 to November 1963. Instead, Lechín's intransigence on political issues eventually convinced Paz not only to renege on his promise but also to expel vice-president Lechín from the MNR at its 1964 convention. At that point, Lechín formed the
Revolutionary Party of the National Left (PRIN).
Repeated exile Rather surprisingly, Juan Lechín—the firebrand of the left—supported the 1964
military coup that toppled the MNR from power. Soon thereafter, however, he was forced into exile. He returned in 1971 and was elected as head of the Popular Assembly, a revolutionary congress endorsed by the reform-minded general
General Juan José Torres. Once more Lechín's role was polarizing, as he attempted to create a parallel (union and Assembly-based, quite reminiscent of soviets) alternative to the established order. After the Torres's overthrow later that year, Lechín was exiled once again and did not return until the democratic opening of 1978. By then the years had caught up with him and he had lost much luster and electoral appeal on a nationwide basis. He remained extremely popular with the miners, however, and once more he was elected to lead them and to chair the powerful
Bolivian Workers' Union (COB). In 1980 he was the PRIN candidate for President and fared rather poorly at the polls, but in any case another military coup (this time led by
Luis Garcia Meza) forced him into exile a third time.
Transition to democracy When democracy was restored in 1982, Lechín and the other leaders of the FSTMB and COB returned to the political arena. In his restored position as top labor leader in the country, he strongly criticized the economic policies of president
Hernán Siles Zuazo (1982–85), coming close to toppling his beleaguered regime with crippling strikes and other non-cooperation measures. Lechín also vigorously opposed the neoliberal administration of
Víctor Paz Estenssoro, who served his fourth term from 1985 to 1989. The closure of most of the country's tin mines by Paz Estenssoro (due to declining production and the collapse of world prices) led to considerable in-fighting in the unions. In 1987, Lechín—now aged 73—retired from the leadership of the FSTMB and was voted out as head of the COB. He was replaced in the FSTMB by
Filemón Escobar and by
Genaro Flores in the COB. Juan Lechín Oquendo died in August 2001, at the age of 87. ==Legacy==