Oscar Castillo
Encyclopedia
Oscar Aníbal Castillo is an Argentine
Radical Civic Union
(UCR) politician, currently a Senator
for the Civic and Social Front of Catamarca
and a former governor of that province. He is the son of the late Arnoldo Castillo
, a leading figure in the Catamarca UCR.
Castillo was born in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca
. He studied at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral becoming a lawyer. He was active in student politics, serving as secretary of his faculty's student union
and representing his university at the Federación Universitaria de Buenos Aires in 1980. He married the former Silvia Brocal, an accountant, and had two children.
Castillo has held high office in the UCR. He was President of the UCR youth wing in Catamarca Province
(1981–83), and represented his province on the UCR national committee, in 1990-96 and 2001–04, and was vice-president and treasurer of the party.
Castillo served as a provincial deputy (legislator) in Catamarca (1985–89), and was UCR-MPC caucus leader. He was elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
in 1989 and reelected, serving until 1997. Castillo ran for and was elected governor of Catamarca in 1999, serving until 2003. His tenure was marked by debates regarding the separation of church and state
. Castillo, who had taken his oath as a legislator without mentioning God
in two previous occasions, imposed mandatory religious education
of a Roman Catholic nature in Catamarca schools; protest from the province's sizable Jewish community and others led to the policy's rescission in 2001, however.
Catamarca voters returned him to the Senate upon completion of his term as governor. His reelection campaign, however, was followed by a challenge of the results amid accusations of vote buying
and collusion with Governor Eduardo Brizuela del Moral
to that effect; his personal estate, which includes at least a dozen properties in the province, has also come under scrutiny.
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...
Radical Civic Union
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...
(UCR) politician, currently a Senator
Argentine Senate
The 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...
for the Civic and Social Front of Catamarca
Civic and Social Front of Catamarca
The Civic and Social Front of Catamarca is a provincial political party in Argentina.The front was formed in 1991 by the Catamarcan branch of the Radical Civic Union and minor local parties...
and a former governor of that province. He is the son of the late Arnoldo Castillo
Arnoldo Castillo
-Life and times:Arnoldo Aníbal Castillo was born to Carmen Berrondo and Gualberto Castillo in Quilmes, a suburb of Buenos Aires, in 1922. His parents relocated to Catamarca, in the Argentine Northwest, early in his childhood. Castillo enrolled at the National University of Córdoba, wher he studied...
, a leading figure in the Catamarca UCR.
Castillo was born in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca is a city in northwestern Argentina and capital of Catamarca Province, on the Río Valle River, at the feet of the Cerro Ambato....
. He studied at the Universidad Nacional del Litoral becoming a lawyer. He was active in student politics, serving as secretary of his faculty's student union
Students' union
A students' union, student government, student senate, students' association, guild of students or government of student body is a student organization present in many colleges and universities, and has started appearing in some high schools...
and representing his university at the Federación Universitaria de Buenos Aires in 1980. He married the former Silvia Brocal, an accountant, and had two children.
Castillo has held high office in the UCR. He was President of the UCR youth wing in Catamarca Province
Catamarca Province
Catamarca 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...
(1981–83), and represented his province on the UCR national committee, in 1990-96 and 2001–04, and was vice-president and treasurer of the party.
Castillo served as a provincial deputy (legislator) in Catamarca (1985–89), and was UCR-MPC caucus leader. He was elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
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....
in 1989 and reelected, serving until 1997. Castillo ran for and was elected governor of Catamarca in 1999, serving until 2003. His tenure was marked by debates regarding the separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
. Castillo, who had taken his oath as a legislator without mentioning God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
in two previous occasions, imposed mandatory religious education
Religious education
In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied aspects —its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles...
of a Roman Catholic nature in Catamarca schools; protest from the province's sizable Jewish community and others led to the policy's rescission in 2001, however.
Catamarca voters returned him to the Senate upon completion of his term as governor. His reelection campaign, however, was followed by a challenge of the results amid accusations of vote buying
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
and collusion with Governor Eduardo Brizuela del Moral
Eduardo Brizuela del Moral
Eduardo S. Brizuela del Moral is an Argentine Radical Civic Union politician. He has been governor of Catamarca Province since 2003, heading the Civic and Social Front of Catamarca....
to that effect; his personal estate, which includes at least a dozen properties in the province, has also come under scrutiny.