Alejandro Armendáriz
Encyclopedia
Alejandro Armendáriz was an Argentine physician and politician.
, a pampas town in the Province of Buenos Aires, in 1923. His family relocated to the city of Buenos Aires
in 1940, where he graduated from the Marist
College of San José (a college preparatory school), the following year. Enrolling at the prestigious University of Buenos Aires
, he received a medical degree in 1949 and returned to Saladillo. He married Olga Guillermina Gaddi, with whom he had two children.
Practicing medicine, he became affiliated to the centrist Radical Civic Union
(UCR) and was elected Vice-President of their local chapter in 1951 and city councilman in 1954. The increasingly autocratic President Juan Perón
, the UCR's chief rival, had Peronist Governor Carlos Aloé annul the Saladillo elections within days, however. Armendáriz was returned to the City Council in 1963 and was elected in 1965 to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
(the Lower House of Congress). Known for his quiet, tenacious nature and stoic approach to adversity, Armendáriz became affectionately known as "the titan" to those around him.
The 1966 deposal of President Arturo Illia (of the UCR) by General Juan Carlos Onganía
dissolved the Argentine Congress and forced Armendáriz to return to his medical practice. The imminence of new elections in 1972 led him to join fellow former UCR Congressman Raúl Alfonsín
in founding the "Movement for Renewal and Change," a center-left faction opposed to the party's longtime leader, Ricardo Balbín
, who defeated Alfonsín in their party's primary ahead of the March 1973 elections
. Armendáriz's friendship with Alfonsín continued during the turbulent 1970s, when the latter practiced law in defense of victims of the wave of human rights abuses
in Argentina, later in the decade. Following Alfonsín's daring and timely opposition of the ill-considered Falklands War
in 1982, he became the frontrunner within the UCR on the eve of elections
agreed to by the discredited dictatorship
, in 1983. Securing the nomination in July, Alfonsín advanced Armendáriz as the UCR candidate for Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, home to 38% of Argentines.
area, a quiltwork of largely working-class suburbs long aligned with Perón's populist Justicialist Party
. Armendáriz selected for his running mate Elba Roulet, an architect from the Greater Buenos Aires suburb of San Martín
whose personable demeanor complemented Armendáriz's reserved nature well.
Polls gave neither man an edge and on election day, October 30, as Argentines gathered in a then-record turnout, the Justicialist candidate, Herminio Iglesias
, threw a (premature) "victory rally" in which a coffin draped in the UCR colors was burned before the television cameras. The macabre scene ignited the electorate's bitter memories of Isabel Perón's chaotic 1974-76 presidency and helped result in a solid victory for both Alfonsín and Armendáriz. Excluding blank and invalid votes, of 5.4 million cast, Armendáriz received 2.8 million (52%) - soundly defeating the odds-on favorite, Iglesias, by 12%.
Inheriting a province reeling from the effects of a national economic crisis and years of police and other legal abuses, Governor Armendáriz undertook the reform of the provincial judicial system while acting decisevely to confront growing crime rates. He enacted laws expanding the use of oral testimony
in criminal courts, establishing the Crime Prevention Council and, despite tight budgets, adding 6,000 police officers and expanding the number of police precinct
s from 186 to 310.
His social policy was equally vigorous. He added 24,000 teachers to the strained public school system
, while having 560 schools built and establishing building administration posts to remodel many others. Increasing spending on poverty relief programs, his efforts began or completed 37,000 public housing
units, while extending public running water to around a million people and public sewers to 600,000 households (over 2 million people). A physician by vocation, he had clinics and hospitals built totaling 54,000 m² (580,000 ft²), while incorporating six bankrupt facilities into the provincial aegis (including the Saladillo Hospital). Severe flooding in the north of the province (the center of the nation's grain belt) in 1984 led the Governor to enact the Master Hidrostructural Plan, which built numerous needed levee
s and canal
s, while closing illegally built ones.
These and other works could not overcome voters' growing disapproval of President Alfonsín's policy of wage freezes and credit controls, which the opposition Justicialist Party
blamed for sliding living standards. Facing Justicialist nominee Antonio Cafiero
, an economist and legislator close to the late Juan Perón
, anti-incumbent sentiment and fallout from the 1986 indictment of his son-in-law, José Luis Nicora, for embezzlement while Mayor of Magdalena
cost his party the Governorship in the September 1987 election
. Cafiero received 47% of the vote, defeating Armendáriz by 7 points.
plan covering most seniors and the indigent. Entrusted with the post in March 1988, Armendáriz was able to restore stability to the perennially mismanaged PAMI by September, dissolving the crisis commission in favor of a panel presided by Argentina's two leading senior citizens' advocacy group
s. Reducing hitherto rampant subcontractor fraud, PAMI was restored to solvency while adding spousal benefits and vacation subsidies for beneficiaries. Remaining active in the UCR after their sharp loss in the 1989 presidential race
, he was returned to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
in 1991, where he became the ranking member
of the Health Committee.
A September 1997 automobile accident nearly cost Armendáriz his life, and he retired from Congress. Remaining politically active in the provincial capital of La Plata
, he suffered another serious accident, at his office, in April 2004. Unable to recover, Alejandro Armendáriz died at his Saladillo home in 2005. He was 82.
A distinguished Argentine physician, politician and lawmaker, he was survived by his widow, children and 7 grandchildren. His legacy of transparency and efficiency earned him the respect of figures from both parties.
Early career
Armendáriz was born in SaladilloSaladillo
Saladillo is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Saladillo Partido.-External links:...
, a pampas town in the Province of Buenos Aires, in 1923. His family relocated to the city 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...
in 1940, where he graduated from the Marist
Society of Mary (Marists)
The Society of Mary , is a Roman Catholic religious congregation or order, founded by Father Jean-Claude Colin and a group of other seminarians in France in 1816...
College of San José (a college preparatory school), the following year. Enrolling at the prestigious University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
, he received a medical degree in 1949 and returned to Saladillo. He married Olga Guillermina Gaddi, with whom he had two children.
Practicing medicine, he became affiliated to the centrist 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) and was elected Vice-President of their local chapter in 1951 and city councilman in 1954. The increasingly autocratic President Juan Perón
Juan 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...
, the UCR's chief rival, had Peronist Governor Carlos Aloé annul the Saladillo elections within days, however. Armendáriz was returned to the City Council in 1963 and was elected in 1965 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....
(the Lower House of Congress). Known for his quiet, tenacious nature and stoic approach to adversity, Armendáriz became affectionately known as "the titan" to those around him.
The 1966 deposal of President Arturo Illia (of the UCR) by General Juan Carlos Onganía
Juan Carlos Onganía
Juan Carlos Onganía Carballo was de facto president of Argentina from 29 June 1966 to 8 June 1970. He rose to power as military dictator after toppling, in a coup d’état self-named Revolución Argentina , the democratically elected president Arturo Illia .-Economic and social...
dissolved the Argentine Congress and forced Armendáriz to return to his medical practice. The imminence of new elections in 1972 led him to join fellow former UCR Congressman 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...
in founding the "Movement for Renewal and Change," a center-left faction opposed to the party's longtime 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....
, who defeated Alfonsín in their party's primary ahead of the March 1973 elections
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:...
. Armendáriz's friendship with Alfonsín continued during the turbulent 1970s, when the latter practiced law in defense of victims of the wave of human rights abuses
Dirty War
The 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 Argentina, later in the decade. Following Alfonsín's daring and timely opposition of the ill-considered Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982, he became the frontrunner within the UCR on the eve of elections
Argentine general election, 1983
The Argentine general election of 1983 was held on 30 October and marked the return of Democracy after the 1976's dictatorship self-known as National Reorganization Process...
agreed to by the discredited dictatorship
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process was the name used by its leaders for the military government that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as la última junta militar or la última dictadura , because several of them existed throughout its history.The Argentine...
, in 1983. Securing the nomination in July, Alfonsín advanced Armendáriz as the UCR candidate for Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, home to 38% of Argentines.
Governor of Argentina's largest province
Two out of three residents in the province live in the Greater Buenos AiresGreater Buenos Aires
Greater Buenos Aires is the generic denomination to refer to the megalopolis comprising the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and the conurbation around it, over the province of Buenos Aires—namely the adjacent 24 partidos or municipalities—which nonetheless do not constitute a single administrative...
area, a quiltwork of largely working-class suburbs long aligned with Perón's populist 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...
. Armendáriz selected for his running mate Elba Roulet, an architect from the Greater Buenos Aires suburb of San Martín
San Martín, Buenos Aires
Ciudad del Libertador General Don José de San Martín, more commonly known as San Martín is the head city of the General San Martín Partido in the Gran Buenos Aires metropolitan area.-Geography:...
whose personable demeanor complemented Armendáriz's reserved nature well.
Polls gave neither man an edge and on election day, October 30, as Argentines gathered in a then-record turnout, the Justicialist candidate, Herminio Iglesias
Herminio Iglesias
Herminio Iglesias was an Argentine politician.The son of Galician immigrants, at the age of 13, Iglesias began to work in a factory, where, at age 21, he was appointed as a union shop steward....
, threw a (premature) "victory rally" in which a coffin draped in the UCR colors was burned before the television cameras. The macabre scene ignited the electorate's bitter memories of Isabel Perón's chaotic 1974-76 presidency and helped result in a solid victory for both Alfonsín and Armendáriz. Excluding blank and invalid votes, of 5.4 million cast, Armendáriz received 2.8 million (52%) - soundly defeating the odds-on favorite, Iglesias, by 12%.
Inheriting a province reeling from the effects of a national economic crisis and years of police and other legal abuses, Governor Armendáriz undertook the reform of the provincial judicial system while acting decisevely to confront growing crime rates. He enacted laws expanding the use of oral testimony
Testimony
In law and in religion, testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. All testimonies should be well thought out and truthful. It was the custom in Ancient Rome for the men to place their right hand on a Bible when taking an oath...
in criminal courts, establishing the Crime Prevention Council and, despite tight budgets, adding 6,000 police officers and expanding the number of police precinct
Police precinct
Police precinct is a form of division of a geographical area patrolled by a police force.Police forces using this format include:* New York Police Department* Boston Police Department* Portland Police Bureau* Seattle Police Department-See also:...
s from 186 to 310.
His social policy was equally vigorous. He added 24,000 teachers to the strained public school system
Education in Argentina
Education in Argentina is a responsibility shared by the national government, the provinces and federal district and private institutions, though basic guidelines have historically been set by the Ministry of Education...
, while having 560 schools built and establishing building administration posts to remodel many others. Increasing spending on poverty relief programs, his efforts began or completed 37,000 public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
units, while extending public running water to around a million people and public sewers to 600,000 households (over 2 million people). A physician by vocation, he had clinics and hospitals built totaling 54,000 m² (580,000 ft²), while incorporating six bankrupt facilities into the provincial aegis (including the Saladillo Hospital). Severe flooding in the north of the province (the center of the nation's grain belt) in 1984 led the Governor to enact the Master Hidrostructural Plan, which built numerous needed levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
s and canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, while closing illegally built ones.
These and other works could not overcome voters' growing disapproval of President Alfonsín's policy of wage freezes and credit controls, which the opposition 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...
blamed for sliding living standards. Facing Justicialist nominee Antonio Cafiero
Antonio Cafiero
Antonio Francisco Cafiero is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician.-Biography:Cafiero was born in Buenos Aires. He joined Catholic Action in 1938, and enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires, becoming President of the Students' Association...
, an economist and legislator close to the late Juan Perón
Juan 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...
, anti-incumbent sentiment and fallout from the 1986 indictment of his son-in-law, José Luis Nicora, for embezzlement while Mayor of Magdalena
Magdalena, Buenos Aires
Magdalena is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Magdalena Partido.Founded in 1611, the hamlet grew slowly until the late nineteenth century. The Parish of Santa María Magdalena , consecrated in 1776, inaugurated its current temple in 1860...
cost his party the Governorship in the September 1987 election
Argentine legislative election, 1987
The Argentine legislative elections of 1987 were held on 6 September. Voters chose their legislators and governors and, with a turnout of 83.6%, it produced the following results:-Argentine Congress:-Background:...
. Cafiero received 47% of the vote, defeating Armendáriz by 7 points.
Later life
Alfonsín appointed Armendáriz head of the Crisis Management Commission overseeing PAMI, the national health insuranceNational health insurance
National health insurance is health insurance that insures a national population for the costs of health care and usually is instituted as a program of healthcare reform. It is enforced by law. It may be administered by the public sector, the private sector, or a combination of both...
plan covering most seniors and the indigent. Entrusted with the post in March 1988, Armendáriz was able to restore stability to the perennially mismanaged PAMI by September, dissolving the crisis commission in favor of a panel presided by Argentina's two leading senior citizens' advocacy group
Advocacy group
Advocacy groups use various forms of advocacy to influence public opinion and/or policy; they have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems...
s. Reducing hitherto rampant subcontractor fraud, PAMI was restored to solvency while adding spousal benefits and vacation subsidies for beneficiaries. Remaining active in the UCR after their sharp loss in the 1989 presidential race
Argentine general election, 1989
The Argentine general election of 1989 was held on 14 May. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 85.3%, it produced the following results:-President:aAbstentions.-Argentine Congress:...
, he was returned 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 1991, where he became the ranking member
Ranking member
In United States politics, a ranking member is the second-most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the majority party. Another usage refers to the most senior member of a congressional or state legislative committee from the minority party. This second usage, often...
of the Health Committee.
A September 1997 automobile accident nearly cost Armendáriz his life, and he retired from Congress. Remaining politically active in the provincial capital of La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
, he suffered another serious accident, at his office, in April 2004. Unable to recover, Alejandro Armendáriz died at his Saladillo home in 2005. He was 82.
A distinguished Argentine physician, politician and lawmaker, he was survived by his widow, children and 7 grandchildren. His legacy of transparency and efficiency earned him the respect of figures from both parties.