– approved by the electoral commission so that it could fight the 1974 general election. The move was blocked by several delaying tactics, apparently as Colom would have had a good chance of winning the presidency. He was proposed as a candidate by members of other parties, but these moves were blocked by traditionalists. The opposition parties eventually backed Efraín Ríos Montt as candidate and claim to have won the elections. However, Kjell Laugerud became President after alleged massive electoral fraud. In 1965, Colom returned to Florence on another scholarship where he studied urban planning. In 1976, Colom returned and once again tried to form and register a political party – the Frente Unido de la Revolución (FUR). The same year there was an attempt on his life that left Colom injured and reliant on bodyguards after further attempts and threats. He continued his academic work at San Carlos University, combining this with politics. On 15 March 1979, FUR was finally registered as a political party after several years. However, a week later on 22 March, Colom was assassinated, receiving 45 bullet wounds, having been the target of a carefully planned military operation led by Major General Cancinos, that included army helicopters and several military resources (Cancinos was assassinated 3 months later). This assassination, under the military-dominated and repressive regime of General Fernando Romeo Lucas (President 1978–1982), was one of several, including Social Democrat Party founder Alberto Fuentes Mohr. On 22 March 2009 the Government of Guatemala granted to Manuel Colom Argueta, post mortem, the Order of the Quetzal in the grade of the Grand Cross, as part of the 30th anniversary of his murder. The Order of the Quetzal was delivered to Manuel Colom Argueta's children by president Alvaro Colom Caballeros. See also Álvaro Colom References Bibliography Mayors of Guatemala City Guatemalan democracy activists People of the Guatemalan Civil War Assassinated Guatemalan politicians People murdered in Guatemala Deaths by firearm in Guatemala Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala alumni Grand Crosses of the Order of the Quetzal People from Guatemala City 1932 births 1979 deaths