2004 in Argentina
Encyclopedia
January
- 7 January: Roger NoriegaRoger NoriegaRoger Francisco Noriega is currently a visiting fellow at the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute. He has previously served as a U.S...
, U.S. Sub-Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, criticizes Argentina's position on Cuba, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Rafael BielsaRafael BielsaRafael Antonio Bielsa Caldera is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician from Rosario, province of Santa Fe. He is the brother of former Argentina national football team coach Marcelo Bielsa; both are well-known Newell's Old Boys supporters...
says he feels affected and offended, starting a minor diplomatic crisis. - 22 January: A piece of space junk, apparently a part of a U.S. GPS satellite, falls in a field in San Roque, CorrientesCorrientes ProvinceCorrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by : Paraguay, the province of Misiones, Brazil, Uruguay, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.-History:...
. - 27 January: The Argentine state regains the control of the radioelectric spectrum after withdrawing the concession of exploitation granted to the French company Thales Spectrum.
- 30 January: A demonstration in Santa FeSanta Fe, ArgentinaSanta Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
, asking for government assistance to those affected by the 2003 flood2003 Santa Fe floodThis article is about the flooding of Santa Fe, capital of the , in April 2003. Santa Fe is the fifth most populated city in Argentina , and it is surrounded by rivers...
, ends with the burning of the government house's facade and several offices destroyed.
February
- 3 February: The government learns that Dirty WarDirty WarThe Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
criminal Guillermo Suárez MasonGuillermo Suárez MasonCarlos Guillermo Suárez Mason was an Argentine military officer convicted for Dirty War crimes during the 1976 — 83 military dictatorship. He was in charge of the Batallón de Inteligencia 601.-Biography:...
violated his house arrestHouse arrestIn justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
with the help of the Ambassador of EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, who is recalled the next day. - 16 February: The governor of Santiago del EsteroSantiago del Estero ProvinceSantiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...
, Mercedes Aragonés de Juárez, is charged with fiscal fraud and planning an attack on a political opponent. - 19 February: Nationwide protest day of the piqueteroPiqueteroA piquetero is a member of a political faction whose primary modus operandi is based in the piquete. The piquete is an action by which a group of people blocks a road or street with the purpose of demonstrating and calling attention over a particular issue or demand...
movement. 50,000 people take part in road blocks and demonstrations all over the country, without violent incidents. - 23 February: Antonio Musa Azar, ex-Secretary of Intelligence of Carlos JuárezCarlos JuárezCarlos Arturo Juárez was an Argentine politician, Justicialist Party governor or ruler by proxy of Santiago del Estero Province over a 55-year period, leading to his description as a caudillo....
, former governor of Santiago del Estero, accuses him of the forced disappearanceForced disappearanceIn international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
of a Peronist deputy in during the Dirty WarDirty WarThe Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
. Juárez's wife, governor Mercedes Aragonés, is also charged with planning the assassination of a former governor.
March
- 3 March: Journalist and TV presenter Juan Castro throws himself from his apartment in Palermo, Buenos Aires, attempting suicide. He dies three days later.
- 14 March: The ice wall of the Perito Moreno GlacierPerito Moreno GlacierThe Perito Moreno Glacier is a glacier located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia....
in Patagonia breaks and crumbles for the first time in 16 years, before 9,000 spectators. - 19 March: Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral declares unconstitutional the pardonPardonClemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
granted by President Carlos MenemCarlos MenemCarlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
to the military leaders of the Dirty WarDirty WarThe Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
in 1989–1990. - 24 March: As part of the commemoration of the coup d'étatCoup d'étatA coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that started the Proceso in 1976, the Navy Mechanics School, a former concentration camp, becomes a museum. The head of the Army takes out the official portraits of de facto presidents Jorge Rafael VidelaJorge Rafael VidelaJorge Rafael Videla Redondo is a former senior commander in the Argentine Army who was the de facto President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981. He came to power in a coup d'état that deposed Isabel Martínez de Perón...
and Reynaldo BignoneReynaldo BignoneReynaldo Benito Antonio Bignone is an Argentine general who served as dictatorial President of Argentina from July 1, 1982 to December 10, 1983. In 2010, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the kidnappings, torture, and murders of the Dirty War.-Early career:Reynaldo Benito...
.- The corpse of 23-year-old kidnapping victim Axel BlumbergAxel BlumbergAxel Blumberg was an Argentine engineering student at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires, who died at the age of 23, after being kidnapped for several days in March 2004...
appears in a dumpster in Moreno, province of Buenos Aires, with a bullet shot through his temple.
- The corpse of 23-year-old kidnapping victim Axel Blumberg
April
- 1 April: More than 100,000 people demonstrate in Buenos Aires in support of Juan Carlos BlumbergJuan Carlos BlumbergJuan Carlos Blumberg is an Argentine textile entrepreneur and victims' rights advocate who rose to prominence following the 2004 murder of his son, Axel Blumberg.-Early life and tragedy:Blumberg was born in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires...
, father of the murdered Axel Blumberg, demanding harsher criminal laws. - 2 April: The National CongressArgentine National CongressThe Congress of the Argentine Nation is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies....
dictates the federal intervention of Santiago del Estero. The governor Mercedes Aragonés joins her husband Carlos Juárez in prison, breaking the 50-year-long quasi-feudal dominance of the Juárez family in the province.- The Buenos Aires Police is found suspect of creating a "liberated zone" for the kidnappers of Axel Blumberg.
- 7 April: Congress hastily discusses and passes new criminal laws. Many see this as a demagogical, opportunistic reaction to Blumberg's demands.
- 13 April: María Julia AlsogarayMaría Julia AlsogarayMaría Julia Alsogaray is an Argentine politician convicted for financial crimes against the state.-Life and times:The daughter of conservative politician Álvaro Alsogaray, she was born in Buenos Aires and became an engineer...
, former official of the MenemCarlos MenemCarlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
administration, faces trial on charges of corruption. - 20 April: Avi LewisAvi LewisAvram David "Avi" Lewis is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, host of the Al Jazeera English show , and former host of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation current-affairs program On the Map.-Family:...
and Naomi KleinNaomi KleinNaomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
visit Argentina and present their documentary film The Take at the worker-run Brukman factoryBrukman factoryBrukman is a textile factory in Balvanera, Buenos Aires, Argentina . Currently under the control of a worker cooperative called "18 de Diciembre", it is among the most famous of the country's "recovered factories".-Background:...
. - 22 April: Tens of thousands demonstrate with Juan Carlos Blumberg, for the second time. The predominantly middle-class gathering is joined by columns of piqueteroPiqueteroA piquetero is a member of a political faction whose primary modus operandi is based in the piquete. The piquete is an action by which a group of people blocks a road or street with the purpose of demonstrating and calling attention over a particular issue or demand...
s.- A secretary of former Menemist Minister of Justice Raúl Granillo Ocampo reveals that all the ministers were paid $50,000 monthly in "extra" wages.
- 27 April: Judge Norberto Oyarbide, like judge Jorge Urso before, requests the extradition of ex-President Carlos Menem from Chile. Menem had rejected a previous summons three times on health reasons, but was seen performing a typical ethnic dance with an "odalisqueOdalisqueAn odalisque was a female slave in an Ottoman seraglio. She was an assistant or apprentice to the concubines and wives, and she might rise in status to become one of them...
" in Chile. - 29 April: On the first anniversary of the flood of Santa Fe, 10,000 demonstrate in front of the government house, asking for punishment of the responsible officials.
May
- 3 May: The government raises state workers salaries and pension wages, as tax collection improves.
- 5 May: Diego MaradonaDiego MaradonaDiego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
has to be admitted to a hospital 5 days after his last leave because of a food and drink binge. - 7 May: The national government retires 107 top posts of the Federal PolicePolicía Federal ArgentinaThe Policía Federal Argentina is a police force of the Argentine federal government. The PFA has detachments throughout the country, but its main responsibility is policing the Federal District of Buenos Aires...
(adding up to 582 since July 2003). - 10 May: A judge denies legal status to a neo-Nazi political party (Partido Nuevo Triunfo), led by self-styled Führer Alejandro Biondini.
- 11 May: The government announces a programme to deal with the energy crisisArgentine energy crisis (2004)The Argentine energy crisis was a natural gas supply shortage experienced by Argentina in 2004. After the recession triggered by the economic crisis and ending in 2002, Argentina's energy demands grew quickly as industry recovered, but extraction and transportation of natural gas, a cheap and...
, after agreements with PetrobrasPetrobrasPetróleo Brasileiro or Petrobras is a semi-public Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, and the largest company headquartered in the Southern Hemisphere by market...
and Repsol-YPF, with heavy investments in the Yaciretá damYaciretá DamThe Yacyretá Dam or Hydroelectric Power Station Jasyretâ-Apipé is a dam and hydroelectric power plant built over the waterfalls of Jasyretâ-Apipé in the Paraná River, between the Argentine Province of Corrientes and the Paraguayan City of Ayolas. The dam is named for Yacyretâ Island just upstream,...
(hydroelectricity), the Atucha II Nuclear Power PlantAtucha II nuclear power plantAtucha II is a nuclear power plant in Argentina, located in Lima, Buenos Aires, on a site next to Atucha I. Its construction started in June 1981 under a contract with Siemens, but it has not been finished . Like Atucha I, it is a Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor , but was planned to have a much...
, and the creation of EnarsaEnarsaEnarsa , in full Energía Argentina Sociedad Anónima, is a company managed by the national state of Argentina for the integral exploitation of petroleum and natural gas, and the production, industrialization, transport and trade of these and of electricity.Enarsa was founded on December 29, 2004 by...
, a state-owned oil company. Natural gas, crude oil and gasoline export taxes are raised to preserve internal supply. - 15 May: The provincial government fires 303 Buenos Aires Police officers, accused of multiple crimes including "happy triggers", torture and sexual abuse on detainees.
- 21 May: María Julia Alsogaray is sentenced to 3 years and forced to return ill-gotten $700,000.
- 30 May: Several EssoEssoEsso is an international trade name for ExxonMobil and its related companies. Pronounced , it is derived from the initials of the pre-1911 Standard Oil, and as such became the focus of much litigation and regulatory restriction in the United States. In 1972, it was largely replaced in the U.S. by...
employees, customs officers and boat captains (13 people) are accused of crude oil contraband.
June
- 1 June: Minister of Economy Roberto LavagnaRoberto LavagnaRoberto Lavagna is an Argentine economist and politician, and was the former Minister of Economy and Production of Argentina from April 27, 2002, to November 28, 2005.-Career:...
offers Argentine bond holders to exchange the debtArgentine debt restructuringArgentina went through an economic crisis beginning in the mid-1990s, with full recession between 1999 and 2002; though it is debatable whether this crisis has ended, the situation has been more stable, and improving, since 2003....
with a steep discount (around 60% nominal). - 8 June: 70-year-old Catholic priest José Mariani releases an autobiographical book about celibacy and sexual experiences of his and other members of the Church, which erupts public controversy.
- 11 June: The government regains control of the national post service, formerly in private hands.
- 12 June: President Kirchner launches his wife Cristina FernándezCristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
as Buenos Aires candidate for the SenateArgentine SenateThe Argentine Senate is the upper house of the Argentine National Congress. It has 72 senators: three for each province and three for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires...
. - 16 June. Congress approves the deployment of Argentine peacekeeping troops in HaitiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. - 18 June: Piqueteros and left-wing parties demonstrate in several large cities. Followers of Raúl CastellsRaúl CastellsRaúl Castells is a controversial Argentine political activist. He is the leader of an organization called "Independent Movement for the Retired and Unemployed" , a piquetero group.Castells moved in 1984 to Santa Fe, where he would spend the next twenty years...
occupy McDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
restaurants demanding food. - 29 June: President Kirchner visits ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
looking to foster commerce.- Minister of Foreign Relations Rafael BielsaRafael BielsaRafael Antonio Bielsa Caldera is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician from Rosario, province of Santa Fe. He is the brother of former Argentina national football team coach Marcelo Bielsa; both are well-known Newell's Old Boys supporters...
says "We are fed up with [Roger] Noriega and his meddling in Argentine politics as if we were [the United States'] backyard". Noriega had criticized the lenient treatment of piqueteros by the Argentine government and the political fight between Kirchner and former president DuhaldeEduardo Duhalde-External links:...
.
- Minister of Foreign Relations Rafael Bielsa
July
- 6 July: The Senate OKs the appointment of Carmen ArgibayCarmen ArgibayCarmen María Argibay is a member of the Argentine Supreme Court of Justice. She was the first woman to be nominated for the Court by a democratic government in Argentina, and caused some controversy upon declaring herself an atheist and a supporter of legal abortion.-Career prior to the Supreme...
, an avowed feministFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and atheistAtheismAtheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, to the Supreme CourtSupreme Court of ArgentinaThe Supreme Court of Argentina is the highest court of law of the Argentine Republic. It was inaugurated on 15 January 1863. However, during much of the 20th century, the Court and, in general, the Argentine judicial system, has lacked autonomy from the executive power...
. - 7 July: The 26th Summit of the MercosurMercosurMercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
plus Chile, Venezuela and Mexico starts in Puerto Iguazú, MisionesMisiones ProvinceMisiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
. - 14 July: The CGT unifies under three leaders, each belonging to a different labour union.
- 18 July: 10th anniversary of the AMIA bombingAMIA BombingThe AMIA bombing was an attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina building in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, that killed 85 people and injured hundreds. It was Argentina's deadliest bombing...
. New and formerly withheld clues point to the involvement of the SIDESecretaría de InteligenciaSecretaría de Inteligencia is the premier intelligence agency of the Argentine Republic and head of its National Intelligence System....
, of ex-president MenemCarlos MenemCarlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
, a judge, and the IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i ambassador.
August
- 9 August: The government raises retirement pensions to 308 pesos (about $100).
- 12 August: The Chamber of Deputies accuses Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Vázquez. He is to be subject to "political trial" by the Senate.
- Senator Vilma IbarraVilma IbarraVilma Lidia Ibarra is an Argentine politician, formerly Senator for Buenos Aires and now a National Deputy. She is the sister of Aníbal Ibarra, the former Chief of the Buenos Aires government....
presents a legislative project to de-criminalize abortion in restricted contexts.
- Senator Vilma Ibarra
- 16 August: Venezuelan president Hugo ChávezHugo ChávezHugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
invites Cristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Fernández de KirchnerCristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
to Caracas as a display of regional integration. - 23 August: Dirty WarDirty WarThe Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
criminal Emilio Eduardo MasseraEmilio Eduardo MasseraEmilio Eduardo Massera was an Argentine military officer, and a leading participant in the Argentine coup d'état of 1976. In 1981, he was found to be a member of P2...
is forced to pay 200,000 pesos ($66,000) in reparations to a child of desaparecidos.- A blackout in Greater Buenos Aires leaves 600,000 without power for 40 minutes.
- 25 August: Piquetero leader Raúl CastellsRaúl CastellsRaúl Castells is a controversial Argentine political activist. He is the leader of an organization called "Independent Movement for the Retired and Unemployed" , a piquetero group.Castells moved in 1984 to Santa Fe, where he would spend the next twenty years...
is arrested in ChacoChaco ProvinceChaco is an Argentine province located in the north of the country, near the border with Paraguay. Its capital is Resistencia on the Paraná River opposite the city of Corrientes...
for the forced occupation of the Casino Gala ResistenciaResistencia, ChacoResistencia is the capital and largest city in the province of Chaco, in northeastern Argentina. At the 2001 census, the population of the Resistencia city proper was 274,490 inhabitants. It is the anchor of a slightly larger metropolitan area, Greater Resistencia, which comprises three more...
. - 26 August: Juan Carlos BlumbergJuan Carlos BlumbergJuan Carlos Blumberg is an Argentine textile entrepreneur and victims' rights advocate who rose to prominence following the 2004 murder of his son, Axel Blumberg.-Early life and tragedy:Blumberg was born in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires...
leads a massive demonstration before Congress. He asks for harder punishments for crime and states that in Argentina "human rights are only for the criminals". Many criticize him, while the political right aligns behind him. - 31 August: Demonstrators greet IMF head Rodrigo RatoRodrigo RatoRodrigo de Rato y Figaredo is a Spanish political figure who served in the government of Spain as Minister of the Economy from 1996 to 2004; a member of the conservative People's Party , he was also First Deputy Prime Minister from 2003 to 2004...
, who is meeting Roberto LavagnaRoberto LavagnaRoberto Lavagna is an Argentine economist and politician, and was the former Minister of Economy and Production of Argentina from April 27, 2002, to November 28, 2005.-Career:...
, with burning tires and Molotov cocktailMolotov cocktailThe Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s in front of the Ministry of Economy.
September
- 1 September: Justice Adolfo Vázquez resigns, thus sparing himself the inquiry over his past performance and the loss of a 12,000-peso retirement pension ($4,000, about 40 times the minimum).
- 2 September: The Salary Council (made up by labour unions and corporative representatives) agrees to raise the minimum wage by 28.6% to 450 pesos ($150).
- 6 September: Abraham Kaul, head of the AMIA Jewish association bombed in 1994, claims that then-president Carlos Menem obstructed the investigation.
- 7 September: An earthquakeEarthquakeAn earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
(6.5 in the Richter scaleRichter magnitude scaleThe expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
) hits CatamarcaCatamarca ProvinceCatamarca is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. The province has a population of 334,568 as per the , and covers an area of 102,602 km². Its literacy rate is 95.5%. Neighbouring provinces are : Salta, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Córdoba, and La Rioja...
at 8:53 a.m. and is felt even in Mar del PlataMar del PlataMar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
. - 14 September: National soccer team coach Marcelo BielsaMarcelo BielsaMarcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera is an Argentine association football coach and former defender, born in Rosario, Santa Fe...
resigns suddenly citing a "lack of energy for the task", at the peak of his career after the Argentine team had won gold in the Olympic Games. - 23 September: Alfonso Prat GayAlfonso Prat GayAlfonso Prat Gay is an Argentine economist and politician. He was President of the Central Bank of Argentina from December 2002 to September 2004, and was elected Congressman for the Civic Coalition in the 2009 elections.-Career:...
is replaced by Martín RedradoMartín RedradoHernán Martín Pérez Redrado is an Argentine economist and policy-maker. He served as President of the Central Bank of Argentina between September 2004 and January 2010.-Early life and career:...
as the head of the Central BankBanco Central de la República Argentina-Overview:Established by six Acts of Congress enacted on May 28, 1935, the bank replaced Argentina's Currency board, which had been in operation since 1890...
, after disagreements with the Ministry of Economy. - 28 September: A 15-year-old student fires a 9-mm gun on his schoolmates, killing three and wounding five, in Carmen de PatagonesCarmen de Patagones- Geography :It is located 937 km from the city of Buenos Aires, on the north bank of the Río Negro , near the Atlantic Ocean, and opposite Viedma, capital of the province of Río Negro...
, Buenos Aires ProvinceBuenos Aires ProvinceThe Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
.
October
- 1 October: Natural gas prices rise 7–8%. Argentina's has more LNG-powered vehicles than any other country and its industry also relies heavily on it.
- Fito PáezFito PáezRodolfo "Fito" Páez Ávalos is an Argentine popular rock and roll pianist, lyricist, Spanish language singer and film director.-Early career:...
and Luis Alberto SpinettaLuis Alberto SpinettaLuis Alberto Spinetta , is an Argentine musician. He is one of the most influential rock musicians of South America, and together with Charly García is considered the father of Argentine rock. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the residential neighbourhood of Belgrano...
open the 9-day Quilmes Rock festival. - Daniel BurmanDaniel BurmanDaniel Burman is a film director, screenplay writer, and producer.According to film critic Joel Poblete, who writes for Mabuse, a cinema magazine, Daniel Burman is one of the members of the so-called "New Argentina Cinema" which began c...
's El abrazo partidoEl abrazo partidoLost Embrace is an Argentine, French, Italian, and Spanish comedy drama film, directed by Daniel Burman and written by Burman and Marcelo Birmajer...
is chosen to compete for the Foreign Language Oscar Award.
- Fito Páez
- 5 October: Jorge ZorreguietaJorge ZorreguietaJorge Horacio Zorreguieta Stefanini is a former politician from Argentina. He was Minister of Agriculture in the regime of General Jorge Rafael Videla...
, father of Princess Máxima of the NetherlandsPrincess Máxima of the NetherlandsPrincess Máxima of the Netherlands is the wife of Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, heir apparent to the throne of the Netherlands.-Early life and education:...
, is accused of involvement in the forced disappearanceForced disappearanceIn international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
of state employee in 1976. - 7 October: Private retirement funds who hold 17% of the defaulted Argentine debt bonds ($15,300 million) agree to exchangeArgentine debt restructuringArgentina went through an economic crisis beginning in the mid-1990s, with full recession between 1999 and 2002; though it is debatable whether this crisis has ended, the situation has been more stable, and improving, since 2003....
them. - 10 October: The 10th Women's Meeting gathered in MendozaMendoza, ArgentinaMendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
ends with 20,000 demonstrators asking for safe contraception and the right to abortion. Minor violent incidents with Catholic groups. - 12 October: Official celebrations of Columbus DayColumbus DayMany countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday...
are opposed by counter-protests, marches and gatherings by aboriginal associations, popular assemblies and other NGOs. - 15 October: The United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
chooses ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
as the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for its next two-year term, which begins in January 2005. - 20 October: The Senate OKs the creation of EnarsaEnarsaEnarsa , in full Energía Argentina Sociedad Anónima, is a company managed by the national state of Argentina for the integral exploitation of petroleum and natural gas, and the production, industrialization, transport and trade of these and of electricity.Enarsa was founded on December 29, 2004 by...
, the future state-owned oil company. - 26 October: The Supreme Court declares constitutional the 2002 "peso-ification" of bank deposits, by which dollar-denominated accounts were converted to pesos at an artificial rate of 1.4 pesos per dollar plus an inflation-adjusted index.
November
- 1 November: Minister Lavagna presents the Argentine debt exchange proposal, which includes a nominal discount worth 62%, to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- 8 November: Luciano Benetton offers 25 of the 9,700 km² he owns in PatagoniaPatagoniaPatagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
for the use of the MapucheMapucheThe Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
tribe, who claim the full restoration of their lands. - 11 November: The government removes 12 of the 16 general commanders of the Gendarmerie for illegal administration of funds.
- 17 November: The Third International Congress of the Spanish LanguageThird International Congress of the Spanish LanguageThe Third International Congress of the Spanish Language was a cultural event that took place in Rosario, Argentina, on 17, 18 and 19 November 2004....
starts in RosarioRosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, with the presence of the King and Queen of SpainSpanish monarchyThe Monarchy of Spain, constitutionally referred to as The Crown and commonly referred to as the Spanish monarchy or Hispanic Monarchy, is a constitutional institution and an historic office of Spain...
and renowned writers such as Ernesto SábatoErnesto SabatoErnesto Sabato , was an Argentine writer, painter and physicist. According to the BBC he "won some of the most prestigious prizes in Hispanic literature" and "became very influential in the literary world throughout Latin America"...
, Carlos FuentesCarlos FuentesCarlos Fuentes Macías is a Mexican writer and one of the best-known living novelists and essayists in the Spanish-speaking world. He has influenced contemporary Latin American literature, and his works have been widely translated into English and other languages.-Biography:Fuentes was born in...
and José SaramagoJosé SaramagoJosé de Sousa Saramago, GColSE was a Nobel-laureate Portuguese novelist, poet, playwright and journalist. His works, some of which can be seen as allegories, commonly present subversive perspectives on historic events, emphasizing the human factor. Harold Bloom has described Saramago as "a...
. - 17 November: Three apparently home-made explosive devices are detonated in three Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
banks in ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, killing a security guard and wounding a police officer. - 18 November: Argentina recognizes China as a market economy, supporting its acceptance into the WTOWorld Trade OrganizationThe World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
; in exchange, China vows to increase imports from Argentina by $4,000 million along 5 years. - 23 November: The government raises worker's social benefits and grants an extra, one-time rise to pension wages for December; informally called "Merry Christmas Plan", intended to stimulate consumption during the holiday season.
- 30 November: A survey reveals that over 70% of Argentinians believe abortion should be allowed in certain contexts, though only 24% support it in all cases.
December
- 1 December: Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge BergoglioJorge Cardinal BergoglioJorge Mario Bergoglio, SJ is an Argentine cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current Archbishop of Buenos Aires, serving since 1998. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001.-Early life:...
calls an art exhibition by León FerrariLeón FerrariLeón Ferrari , is a contemporary conceptual artist.Born in Buenos Aires, Ferrari employs methods such as collage, photocopying and sculpture in wood, plaster or ceramics. He often uses text, particularly newspaper clippings or poetry, in his pieces...
"a shame" and "blasphemy". Many of Ferrari's works employ religious icons and characters. - 3 December: Five people enter León Ferrari's exhibition and destroy 10 of his works crying "Live Christ King!".
- 6 December: Workers of the Buenos Aires metroBuenos Aires MetroThe Buenos Aires Metro , locally known as Subte is a mass-transit system that serves the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first station of this network opened in 1913, the first of its kind in South America, the Southern Hemisphere and the entire Spanish-speaking world...
go on strike for several days. - 7 December: The master server for .com.ar Internet domains in Argentina gets a corrupt update of a DNS table, and local Internet traffic stops for almost eight hours throughout the country.
- 9 December: The government raises private workers' salaries 100 pesos ($33) by decree.
- Floods affect 6,000 km² in ChacoChaco ProvinceChaco is an Argentine province located in the north of the country, near the border with Paraguay. Its capital is Resistencia on the Paraná River opposite the city of Corrientes...
and 10,000 people have to be evacuated. Ecologists warn that the effects were magnified by deforestation.
- Floods affect 6,000 km² in Chaco
- 10 December: Catholic fundamentalists disrupt a press conference by Rebecca Gomperts, president of pro-choicePro-choiceSupport for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
NGO Women on WavesWomen on WavesWomen on Waves is a Dutch pro-choice non-profit organization created in 1999 by Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts, in order to bring reproductive health services, particularly non-surgical abortion services, to women in countries with restrictive abortion laws. Other services offered by WoW include...
. - 14 December: An attempt to pass a sexual education law in Buenos Aires fails due to lack of consensus. Supporters request a referendum.
- 16 December: Congress initiates the accusation process against Supreme Justice Antonio Boggiano. At the same time Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti gets the approval of the Senate.
- 17 December: Judge Elena Liberatori shuts down León Ferrari's exhibition upon request of a Catholic association, on grounds that it invades the citizens' private life, even though it is shown inside a museum and behind multiple warnings.
- 19 December: Artists, politicians, human rights activists and others support León Ferrari by symbolically "embracing" the museum.
- 20 December: On the 3rd anniversary of the 2001 riotsDecember 2001 riots (Argentina)The December 2001 uprising was a period of civil unrest and rioting in Argentina, which took place during December 2001, with the most violent incidents taking place on December 19 and December 20 in the capital, Buenos Aires, Rosario and other large cities around the country.- Background :The...
, the piqueteroPiqueteroA piquetero is a member of a political faction whose primary modus operandi is based in the piquete. The piquete is an action by which a group of people blocks a road or street with the purpose of demonstrating and calling attention over a particular issue or demand...
movement splits: opposition hard-liners and pro-government groups demonstrate at different places. - 27 December: A judge panel revokes the shutdown of León Ferrari's exhibit.
- 28 December: Media businessman Marcelo TinelliMarcelo TinelliMarcelo Hugo Tinelli is an Argentine TV host, media producer and businessman, best known as the host of the TV show ShowMatch broadcast on Argentina's Canal 13...
shifts his contract to Canal 9Canal 9 (Argentina)Canal 9 is an Argentine television network based in Buenos Aires. It is a general entertainment station which offers news, soap operas, talk shows, and movies.-History:...
, leaving the TeleféTelefeTelevisión Federal S.A., best known as Telefe and later as TLF, is an Argentine television network. Formerly known as Canal Once , a state-run network, it was privatised and established as Telefe in 1989, when and News Corporation took over the channel...
network without its highest rating programmes overnight. - 30 December: A fire in the República CromagnonRepública Cromagnon nightclub fireRepública Cromañón was a nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina.On 30 December 2004, a fire broke out in the club, killing 194 people and injuring 714 others. The venue was playing host to rock group Callejeros and around 3,000 people were in attendance...
nightclub in Buenos Aires kills 194 people and injures 714.
Deaths
- 4 September: Jorge Enea SpilimbergoJorge Enea SpilimbergoJorge Enea Spilimbergo was an Argentine nationalist socialist politician, poet, journalist, and writer, one of the founders of the Izquierda Nacional party....
, politician. - 23 November: Adolfo CasteloAdolfo CasteloAdolfo Castelo was a journalist and television host in Argentina.Castelo, who started working in graphic journalism, was the creator of several publications, including the political journalism magazine TXT, which he edited until his death.He also participated in memorable television shows in...
, journalist (b. 1940) - 28 November: Lucas Molina, 20, footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, cardiac arrestCardiac arrestCardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
.