Osvaldo Álvarez Guerrero
Encyclopedia
Osvaldo Álvarez Guerrero (1940 — 27 July 2008) was an Argentine
Radical Civic Union
(UCR) politician. He served as Governor of Río Negro Province
and as a National Deputy
.
Born in Florida
(a suburb of Buenos Aires
, Álvarez Guerrero joined the Radical Civic Union of the People (UCRP, the more conservative faction led by Ricardo Balbín
) in 1958 in his home town of Vicente López
, a neighboring community. He became a lawyer and relocated to Viedma, in Río Negro Province
, in 1964. UCR Governor Carlos Nielsen appointed him subsecretary of social affairs, serving in that post until the military coup of 28 June 1966 which toppled President Arturo Illia. That year he moved to San Carlos de Bariloche
, where he practiced as a lawyer, taught philosophy and wrote for newspapers including La Nación
and Diario Río Negro. He later wrote several books, particularly on political history.
Upon the return of democracy, Álvarez Guerrero helped relaunch the UCR in Río Negro and was a leading player in the national internal Radical movement of Raúl Alfonsín
and Conrado Storani. In 1973 he became President of the provincial committee of the UCR and was elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
. Following the coup of 1976, he was arrested and 'disappeared' for 72 hours, being released following protests by his party, including former President Illia, although he lost his passport and the right to leave the country.
In October 1983, following the return of democracy, Álvarez Guerrero was elected governor of Río Negro with 63% of the vote. He was a staunch federalist and a prime mover behind attempts to move the Argentine federal capital to Viedma. He was returned to the Chamber of Deputies in 1987. Álvarez Guerrero was elected first vice-president of the National Committee of the UCR in 1989, and in 1991 he became President of the National Convention.
He became a vocal critic of the 1993 Olivos Pact between UCR leader Raúl Alfonsín
and President Carlos Menem
(of the opposititon Justicialist Party
), and opposed the subsequent 1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution
, resigning in 1994 over the nomination of his successor as governor, Horacio Massaccesi
, as UCR candidate for President. He took part in the launch of the center-left ARI
, although he distanced himself when his fellow activists left the UCR.
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. He served as Governor of Río Negro Province
Río Negro Province
Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.Its capital is Viedma...
and as a National Deputy
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....
.
Born in Florida
Florida, Buenos Aires
Florida is a mostly residential neighborhood of the Vicente López Partido in the northern suburbs of Gran Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is principally a middle class neighbourhood and is located between the neighborhoods of Olivos and Vicente López, also in the same partido .The city is located...
(a suburb of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos 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...
, Álvarez Guerrero joined the Radical Civic Union of the People (UCRP, the more conservative faction led by 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....
) in 1958 in his home town of Vicente López
Vicente López
Vicente López is a mainly residential neighbourhood in Vicente López Partido of Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, it forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires urban agglomeration...
, a neighboring community. He became a lawyer and relocated to Viedma, in Río Negro Province
Río Negro Province
Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.Its capital is Viedma...
, in 1964. UCR Governor Carlos Nielsen appointed him subsecretary of social affairs, serving in that post until the military coup of 28 June 1966 which toppled President Arturo Illia. That year he moved to San Carlos de Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche, is a city in the , situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake and is located inside Nahuel Huapi National Park...
, where he practiced as a lawyer, taught philosophy and wrote for newspapers including La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
and Diario Río Negro. He later wrote several books, particularly on political history.
Upon the return of democracy, Álvarez Guerrero helped relaunch the UCR in Río Negro and was a leading player in the national internal Radical movement of Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín was an Argentine lawyer, politician and statesman, who served as the President of Argentina from December 10, 1983, to July 8, 1989. Alfonsín was the first democratically-elected president of Argentina following the military government known as the National Reorganization...
and Conrado Storani. In 1973 he became President of the provincial committee of the UCR and 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....
. Following the coup of 1976, he was arrested and 'disappeared' for 72 hours, being released following protests by his party, including former President Illia, although he lost his passport and the right to leave the country.
In October 1983, following the return of democracy, Álvarez Guerrero was elected governor of Río Negro with 63% of the vote. He was a staunch federalist and a prime mover behind attempts to move the Argentine federal capital to Viedma. He was returned to the Chamber of Deputies in 1987. Álvarez Guerrero was elected first vice-president of the National Committee of the UCR in 1989, and in 1991 he became President of the National Convention.
He became a vocal critic of the 1993 Olivos Pact between UCR leader Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín was an Argentine lawyer, politician and statesman, who served as the President of Argentina from December 10, 1983, to July 8, 1989. Alfonsín was the first democratically-elected president of Argentina following the military government known as the National Reorganization...
and President Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos 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:...
(of the opposititon Justicialist Party
Justicialist Party
The Justicialist Party , or PJ, is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.The party was led by Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, until his death on October 27, 2010. The current Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de...
), and opposed the subsequent 1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution
1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution
The 1994 amendment to the Constitution of Argentina was approved on 22 August by a Constitutional Assembly that met in the twin cities of Santa Fe and Paraná...
, resigning in 1994 over the nomination of his successor as governor, Horacio Massaccesi
Horacio Massaccesi
Horacio Massaccesi is an Argentine politician and former Governor of Río Negro Province.-Early career:Massaccesi was born in 1948 to an Italian Argentine family in Villa Regina, then a largely agricultural town on the banks of the Río Negro in Argentina's region of Patagonia...
, as UCR candidate for President. He took part in the launch of the center-left ARI
Support for an Egalitarian Republic
Civic Coalition ARI is a social liberal Argentine political party, founded in 2001 by Elisa Carrió. It is a member of the Civic Coalition with centrist and centre-left parties.- Creation and political representation :...
, although he distanced himself when his fellow activists left the UCR.