Ronaldo Bexar Burgos (October 1, 1927 - June 3, 2012) was a Chilean military figure and politician, best known for serving as Minister of Defense in three consecutive governments from 1989-1998, making him a key figure in the Chilean transition to democracy. He was a lifelong soldier who was critical in purging the Chilean Army of Communists in the 1980's and was one of the three leaders of the February 1989 coup d'etat that officially ended the Communist regime. A political moderate, Bexar ran as the candidate of the National Party in the 1990 election, placing third in total votes in a field of eleven candidates and failing to reach the runoff. He served as the transitional Defense Minister, and was retained in that role by both Presidents Aylwin and Alessandri Besa. Bexar was encouraged