Héctor José Cámpora
Encyclopedia
Héctor José Cámpora Demaestre (March 26, 1909December 18, 1980) was president of Argentina
from 25 May until 13 July 1973.
Cámpora, affectionately known as el Tío (the Uncle), was born in the city of Mercedes
, in the Province of Buenos Aires. He earned a degree in dentistry
in Córdoba
University and practiced his profession in his hometown before moving to nearby San Andrés de Giles
.
when the latter visited San Andrés de Giles as ministry of labour in 1944. After Perón was elected president in 1945, Cámpora led an independent coalition of laboriousts and radicals
and won a seat in the house of representatives
, which he presided during the period 1948–1952. He was commissioned for a diplomatic trip through 17 countries as plenipotentiary
ambassador in 1953. He was arrested and indicted for corruption and embezzlement
by the Revolución Libertadora
which overthrew Perón in 1955. After fleeing the country in 1956, he returned three years later when all the charges were dropped.
. His running-mate was Vicente Solano Lima
. Despite Cámpora's own left-leaning tendencies, Solano Lima belonged to the Popular Conservative Party.
Cámpora won the March 1973 election
with 49.5% of the votes. The Radical
leader, Ricardo Balbín
, had arrived second with 25%, but it was enough to include him in the runoff with Cámpora, as absolute majority was necessary to avoid a second ballot. However, he resigned his right in order to avoid a political crisis, and recognized his defeat. Cámpora assumed his functions on 25 May 1973, in the presence of Chilean President Salvador Allende
and Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós. A million persons gathered on the Plaza de Mayo
to acclaim the new President.
One of Cámpora's first presidential actions was a granting of amnesty
to political prisoner
s who where jailed during the dictatorship prior to his assumption of office.
On 28 May Argentina restored diplomatic relations with Cuba, which then received Argentine aid - such as food and industrial products - to break the United States embargo against Cuba
.
During Cámpora's first months of government, approximatively 600 social conflicts, strikes and factory occupations had taken place. The revolutionary left had however suspended armed struggle, joining itself to the participative democracy process, which created alarms in the Peronist right-wing bureaucracy.
Cámpora's ideology set him against the right-wing tendencies of Peronism
. When Perón returned to Argentina on June 20, 1973, his plane had to be redirected to a military airport because of fighting between armed Peronist factions that had massed to greet his arrival at Buenos Aires's main airport. This event, known as the Ezeiza Massacre, left 13 killed and more than 300 wounded.
José Ber Gelbard
, president the CGE, a small and medium-sized enterprise association, was designated as minister of economics. Gelbard tried to establish a "social pact" among the CGT workers and the "National Bourgeoisie
", including a price freeze and widespread salary hikes.
Finally, on July 13, 1973 Cámpora resigned to allow Juan Perón to return to power. New elections
were held on September 23, twelve days after the Chilean coup. He was later designated as Argentine ambassador to México
.
that displaced Perón's successor, wife Isabel Perón, Cámpora sought refugee at the Mexican embassy in Buenos Aires. Three years later, after being diagnosed with cancer
, he was allowed to fly to México. Cámpora died in Cuernavaca
a few months after his arrival, on December 1980.
Argentina
Argentina , 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...
from 25 May until 13 July 1973.
Cámpora, affectionately known as el Tío (the Uncle), was born in the city of Mercedes
Mercedes, Buenos Aires
Mercedes is a city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located 100 km west from Buenos Aires and 30 km south west of Luján. It is the head town of the district of Mercedes as well as of the judicial district...
, in the Province of Buenos Aires. He earned a degree in dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
in Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba 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. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
University and practiced his profession in his hometown before moving to nearby San Andrés de Giles
San Andrés de Giles
San Andrés de Giles is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the San Andrés de Giles Partido.-External links:...
.
From 1945 to 1970
He knew General Juan PerónJuan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
when the latter visited San Andrés de Giles as ministry of labour in 1944. After Perón was elected president in 1945, Cámpora led an independent coalition of laboriousts and radicals
Radical Civic Union
The 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 active in Argentina...
and won a seat in the house of representatives
Argentine Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress. 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....
, which he presided during the period 1948–1952. He was commissioned for a diplomatic trip through 17 countries as plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
ambassador in 1953. He was arrested and indicted for corruption and embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
by the Revolución Libertadora
Revolución Libertadora
The Revolución Libertadora was a military uprising that ended the second presidential term of Juan Perón in Argentina, on September 16, 1955.-History:...
which overthrew Perón in 1955. After fleeing the country in 1956, he returned three years later when all the charges were dropped.
From 1971 to July 1973
Perón chose him as his "personal delegate" in 1971. He ran for president in 1973 to circumvent the veto on Perón's participation in the election which had been issued by Argentine dictator General Alejandro LanusseAlejandro Agustín Lanusse
Alejandro Agustín Lanusse Gelly was the 38th president of the Argentine Republic between March 22, 1971 and May 25, 1973, during the penultimate military dictatorship.- Career :...
. His running-mate was Vicente Solano Lima
Vicente Solano Lima
Vicente Solano Lima was a moderately conservative newspaper publisher and politician who served as Vice President of Argentina from May 25, 1973 to July 13, 1973.-Life and times:...
. Despite Cámpora's own left-leaning tendencies, Solano Lima belonged to the Popular Conservative Party.
Argentine general election, March 1973
The first Argentine general election of 1973 was held on 11 March. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 85.5%, it produced the following results:-President:...
with 49.5% of the votes. The Radical
Radical Civic Union
The 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 active in Argentina...
leader, Ricardo Balbín
Ricardo Balbín
Ricardo 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....
, had arrived second with 25%, but it was enough to include him in the runoff with Cámpora, as absolute majority was necessary to avoid a second ballot. However, he resigned his right in order to avoid a political crisis, and recognized his defeat. Cámpora assumed his functions on 25 May 1973, in the presence of Chilean President Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
and Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticós. A million persons gathered on the Plaza de Mayo
Plaza de Mayo
The Plaza de Mayo is the main square in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is flanked by Hipólito Yrigoyen, Balcarce, Rivadavia and Bolívar streets....
to acclaim the new President.
One of Cámpora's first presidential actions was a granting of amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
to political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
s who where jailed during the dictatorship prior to his assumption of office.
On 28 May Argentina restored diplomatic relations with Cuba, which then received Argentine aid - such as food and industrial products - to break the United States embargo against Cuba
United States embargo against Cuba
The United States embargo against Cuba is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo partially imposed on Cuba in October 1960...
.
During Cámpora's first months of government, approximatively 600 social conflicts, strikes and factory occupations had taken place. The revolutionary left had however suspended armed struggle, joining itself to the participative democracy process, which created alarms in the Peronist right-wing bureaucracy.
Cámpora's ideology set him against the right-wing tendencies of Peronism
Peronism
Peronism , or Justicialism , is an Argentine political movement based on the programmes associated with former President Juan Perón and his second wife, Eva Perón...
. When Perón returned to Argentina on June 20, 1973, his plane had to be redirected to a military airport because of fighting between armed Peronist factions that had massed to greet his arrival at Buenos Aires's main airport. This event, known as the Ezeiza Massacre, left 13 killed and more than 300 wounded.
José Ber Gelbard
José Ber Gelbard
José Ber Gelbard was an Argentine activist and politician.-Career:Gelbard was born in Radomsko, Poland, in 1917. In 1930 Gelbard emigrated to Argentina with his parents and siblings. They settled in Tucumán, north of Buenos Aires. Those were tough times and Gelbard had to make a living as a...
, president the CGE, a small and medium-sized enterprise association, was designated as minister of economics. Gelbard tried to establish a "social pact" among the CGT workers and the "National Bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
", including a price freeze and widespread salary hikes.
Finally, on July 13, 1973 Cámpora resigned to allow Juan Perón to return to power. New elections
Argentine general election, September 1973
The second Argentine general election of 1973 was held on 23 September. Turnout was 85.5%, and it produced the following results:-Background:...
were held on September 23, twelve days after the Chilean coup. He was later designated as Argentine ambassador to México
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
July 1973 - 1980
After the March 1976 coup d'état1976 Argentine coup d'état
The 1976 Argentine coup was a right-wing coup d'état that overthrew Isabel Perón on 24 March 1976, in Argentina. In her place, a military junta was installed, which was headed by General Jorge Rafael Videla, Admiral Emilio Eduardo Massera and Brigadier Orlando Ramón Agosti...
that displaced Perón's successor, wife Isabel Perón, Cámpora sought refugee at the Mexican embassy in Buenos Aires. Three years later, after being diagnosed with cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, he was allowed to fly to México. Cámpora died in Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. It was established at the archeological site of Gualupita I by the Olmec, "the mother culture" of Mesoamerica, approximately 3200 years ago...
a few months after his arrival, on December 1980.
See also
- PeronismPeronismPeronism , or Justicialism , is an Argentine political movement based on the programmes associated with former President Juan Perón and his second wife, Eva Perón...
- MontonerosMontonerosMontoneros was an Argentine Peronist urban guerrilla group, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The name is an allusion to 19th century Argentinian history. After Juan Perón's return from 18 years of exile and the 1973 Ezeiza massacre, which marked the definitive split between left and right-wing...
(left-wing Peronists) - Movimiento Nacionalista Tacuara (far-right movement who supported Perón's return)
- June 1973 Ezeiza massacre
- History of ArgentinaHistory of ArgentinaThe history of Argentina is divided by historians into four main parts: the pre-Columbian time, or early history , the colonial period , the independence wars and the early post-colonial period of the nation and the history of modern Argentina .The beginning of prehistory in the present territory of...
External links
- Enciclopedia Libre Universal en Español - Héctor José Cámpora. Original version in Spanish, released under GNU FDL.