The Uruguayan military unleashed a campaign of mass arrests and selective disappearances, dispersing those guerrillas who were not killed or arrested. The tactics were incredibly effective, and by 1972, the MLN-T had been severely weakened. Its principal leaders were imprisoned under for the next 12 years. Despite the diminished threat, the civilian government of Juan María Bordaberry ceded governmental authority to the military in 1973 in a bloodless "coup d'état" that led to further repression against the population and the suppression of all political parties.