Fernando de la Rúa (born September 15, 1937) is an
ArgentineArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
politician. He was
presidentThe President of Argentina is the head of state of Argentina...
of the country from December 10 1999 to December 21 2001 for the
Alliance for Work, Justice and EducationThe Alliance for Work, Justice and Education was a party coalition in Argentina around the turn of the third millennium...
(a political alliance of the
Radical Civic UnionThe Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party in Argentina...
and
FrepasoThe Front for a Country in Solidarity was a political party in Argentina. It was formed in 1994 out of the Great Front , which had been founded mainly by progressive members of the Peronist Justicialist Party who denounced the policies and the alleged corruption of the Carlos Menem administration;...
).
Born in the city of
CórdobaCórdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province....
, he attended the local Military Lyceum before entering the
National University of CórdobaThe National University of Cordoba, Spanish: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba , is the oldest university in Argentina, and the second in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province...
, from which he obtained his law degree. De la Rúa became involved in politics at a young age.
Fernando de la Rúa (born September 15, 1937) is an
ArgentineArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
politician. He was
presidentThe President of Argentina is the head of state of Argentina...
of the country from December 10 1999 to December 21 2001 for the
Alliance for Work, Justice and EducationThe Alliance for Work, Justice and Education was a party coalition in Argentina around the turn of the third millennium...
(a political alliance of the
Radical Civic UnionThe Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party in Argentina...
and
FrepasoThe Front for a Country in Solidarity was a political party in Argentina. It was formed in 1994 out of the Great Front , which had been founded mainly by progressive members of the Peronist Justicialist Party who denounced the policies and the alleged corruption of the Carlos Menem administration;...
).
Biography
Born in the city of
CórdobaCórdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province....
, he attended the local Military Lyceum before entering the
National University of CórdobaThe National University of Cordoba, Spanish: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba , is the oldest university in Argentina, and the second in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province...
, from which he obtained his law degree. De la Rúa became involved in politics at a young age. He first appeared in the political arena during the 1973 elections, when he was elected to the Senate, representing the city of
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. A few months later he ran for the Vice Presidency along with veteran politician
Ricardo BalbínRicardo Balbín was an Argentine lawyer and politician, and one of the most important figures of the centrist Radical Civic Union , for which he was the presidential nominee four times: in 1951, 1958, and twice in 1973.-Life and times:Ricardo Balbín was born to Encarnación Morales Balbín and Cipriano...
on the
Radical Civic UnionThe Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party in Argentina...
(UCR) ticket. His youth (running for Vice President at the age of 36) earned him the still-standing nickname of "Chupete" (
'Pacifier' or 'Dummy'A pacifier is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple given to an infant or other young child to suck upon. In its standard appearance it has a teat, mouth shield, and handle...
), as he was perceived as a "baby" in politics.
After the democratic restoration in 1983 de la Rúa was elected to the
Chamber of DeputiesThe Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the National Congress, Argentina's parliament. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate.-Composition:It has 256 seats and...
and once again ran for the Senate in 1989. He actually won the popular vote, but was outmanoeuvered in the Electoral College by the alliance between the
Justicialist PartyThe Justicialist Party is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.It is led by Daniel Scioli. The current president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and former presidents Carlos Menem and Eduardo Duhalde are members...
and the Ucedé.
Elected to the
lower houseThe Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the National Congress, Argentina's parliament. This Chamber holds exclusive rights to create taxes, to draft troops, and to accuse the President, the ministers and the members of the Supreme Court before the Senate.-Composition:It has 256 seats and...
by his constituents in the city of
Buenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in 1991 and at last, to the Senate in 1992, de la Rúa became increasingly thought of as presidential timber in the press, generally. Benefitting from his high standing in the polls and the
amendmentsThe 1994 reform to the Argentine Constitution was approved on 22 August, as a result of the Olivos Pact between the president of Argentina Carlos Saúl Menem, and the former president and leader of the opposition Raúl Alfonsín.-Ratification:...
to the Constitution that gave Buenos Aires the right to elect its own mayor, de la Rúa became the first elected mayor of Buenos Aires on August 6, 1996.
Quick to tackle chronic property tax evasion in his city, de la Rúa earned a reputation for efficiency as his city's mayor. This, as well as the nation's mounting social and economic problems, helped carry de la Rúa to victory in the October 24, 1999,
presidential electionArgentina held presidential and parliamentary elections on 24 October 1999. Turnout was 82.2%, and the results were as follows:-Presidential election:|-!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left|Candidates...
. Handily defeating Buenos Aires Governor
Eduardo DuhaldeEduardo Alberto Duhalde is a former president of Argentina.-Biography:Duhalde was born in Lomas de Zamora, in the Greater Buenos Aires. He graduated as a lawyer in 1970. In 1987 he became a member of the Argentine National Congress and became vice-president under Carlos Menem from 1989 to his...
(a man saddled by his ties to the unpopular president), Fernando de la Rúa was inauguated
President of ArgentinaThe President of Argentina is the head of state of Argentina...
on December 10, 1999.
De la Rúa's government was characterized by an ongoing economic crisis, continuous fights and rivalries between the coalition partners, cabinet crises, a general sensation of inaction and a failure to tackle corruption. One of his last acts in office was to ban extraditions for human rights violations. His lack of charisma and his slow demeanor (perceived as stupor) hurt his public image.
Facing mounting pressure and 18% approval ratings, de la Rúa on March 19, 2001, reached out to
Domingo CavalloDomingo Felipe "Mingo" Cavallo is an Argentine economist and politician. He has a long history of public service and is known for implementing the Convertibilidad plan, which fixed the dollar-peso exchange rate at 1:1 between 1991 and 2001, which brought the Argentine inflation rate down from over...
, the economist behind the "
Argentine miracle" during the early 1990s. Cavallo's appointment was, however, interpreted as an act of desperation by the derivatives markets and a massive shorting of Argentine bonds ensued, followed by at least US$40 billion in domestic capital flight.
De la Rúa was finally forced out of office by the popular demonstrations in the midst of the
December 2001 riotsThe December 2001 riots were 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.- Background :...
, the
financial crisisThe Argentine economic crisis was a financial situation that affected Argentina's economy during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Macroeconomically speaking, the critical period started with the decrease of real GDP in 1999 and ended in 2002 with the return to GDP growth, but the origins of the...
, and the growing popular unrest, which took form under the rallying cry of the Argentine people:
¡que se vayan todos! ("away with them all!") – referring to the governing class.
News reported October 23, 2007, that de la Rúa had been indicted for manslaughter in connection with bloody street riots in 2001.
De la Rúa is father of
Antonio de la RúaAntonio de la Rúa , is the oldest son of the Argentine ex-president, Fernando de la Rúa and Inés Pertiné...
who is engaged to Latina superstar
ShakiraShakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer and philanthropist who emerged as a musical prodigy in the music scene of Latin America in the early 1990s...
.