Graciela Fernández Meijide
Encyclopedia
Rosa Graciela Castagnola de Fernández Meijide (born 27 February 1931) is an Argentine
teacher, human rights activist and politician. She came to prominence by investigating the forced disappearance
s of thousands of people during the Dirty War
. She later served as a deputy, senator and minister for the FrePaSo party.
, Argentina
where she met her husband, Enrique Fernández Meijide, at a young age. They had a daughter and two sons, and she worked as a French
teacher. In 1976, her 16-year-old son, Pablo, was taken by the authorities in a night-time raid on the family apartment, along with his girlfriend in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity (the girl's former boyfriend was a student activist also named Pablo). They were not seen again by their families.
Fernández Meijide campaigned for the rights of the families of the disappeared and protested with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. She lived in exile in Montreal
for a period and joined the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights
. At the return of democracy in 1983, she was appointed to head the deposition
s department of the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons
(CONDEP).
and later FrePaSo (Front for a Country in Solidarity) that she started a political career, having seen the passing into law of the controversial 'Pardon Laws' (the Ley de Obediencia Debida
and the Ley de Punto Final
) that pardoned those responsible for human rights abuses during the Proceso. She stood as a candidate for the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
in 1991 without success.
In 1993, Fernández Meijide, by now 62 years old, was elected a deputy for Buenos Aires
city. She was elected to the Argentine Senate
in 1995 for the city. During this time the newly-formed FrePaSo's popularity and her own grew. In 1997, she resigned her seat in the Senate and was elected a deputy once again, but now for Buenos Aires Province, in a resounding victory over Justicialist
Chiche Duhalde
, greatly increasing her profile. FrePaSo joined with the Radical Civic Union
(UCR) and several provincial parties to create the Alianza in opposition to President
Carlos Menem
, and she led the Alianza majority in the lower house of the Argentine Congress.
Ahead of the 1999 Presidential election, Fernández Meijide contested the internal election to be the candidate for the Alianza against radical Fernando de la Rúa
, which she lost despite having been the front-runner in many polls. She declined to be de la Rúa's running mate and announced her candidature to be Governor of Buenos Aires Province
. However she was not successful in the gubernatorial election.
De la Rúa, on the other hand, was elected President, and he appointed Fernández Meijide to his cabinet as minister of social development and environment http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Argentina.htm. She was unable to put many of her social plans into action, however, due to lack of funds, and her popularity waned as the public's impatience grew. In 2001, in a reshuffle brought on by economic and social crisis, the President made her chief of cabinet; however she resigned after a few days in protest at the government's economic policies. De la Rúa's government and the Alianza subsequently collapsed in 2001 and both the UCR and FrePaSo backed the presidency of Eduardo Duhalde
to remedy the country's economic crisis.
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...
teacher, human rights activist and politician. She came to prominence by investigating the forced disappearance
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
s of thousands of people during the Dirty War
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...
. She later served as a deputy, senator and minister for the FrePaSo party.
Biography
Graciela Castagnola was born in AvellanedaAvellaneda
Avellaneda is a port city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 328,980 as per the ....
, Argentina
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...
where she met her husband, Enrique Fernández Meijide, at a young age. They had a daughter and two sons, and she worked as a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
teacher. In 1976, her 16-year-old son, Pablo, was taken by the authorities in a night-time raid on the family apartment, along with his girlfriend in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity (the girl's former boyfriend was a student activist also named Pablo). They were not seen again by their families.
Fernández Meijide campaigned for the rights of the families of the disappeared and protested with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. She lived in exile in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
for a period and joined the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights
Permanent Assembly for Human Rights
The Permanent Assembly for Human Rights is an Argentine non-governmental human rights organization; founded in 1975.- History :...
. At the return of democracy in 1983, she was appointed to head the deposition
Deposition (law)
In the law of the United States, a deposition is the out-of-court oral testimony of a witness that is reduced to writing for later use in court or for discovery purposes. It is commonly used in litigation in the United States and Canada and is almost always conducted outside of court by the...
s department of the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons
Comisión Nacional sobre la Desaparición de Personas
National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons was an Argentine organization created by President Raúl Alfonsín on 15 December 1983, shortly after his inauguration, to investigate the fate of the desaparecidos and other human rights violations performed during the military dictatorship...
(CONDEP).
Political career
Although Fernández Meijide was approached by several parties after her high-profile work, it was not until the creation of the centre-left Great FrontGreat Front
The Broad Front is a left-wing political party in Argentina most prominent in the 1990s.The party was set up by a group of left-wing Justicialist Party members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies, most notably Carlos Álvarez, and other left-wingers who were annoyed at the neo-liberal policies of...
and later FrePaSo (Front for a Country in Solidarity) that she started a political career, having seen the passing into law of the controversial 'Pardon Laws' (the Ley de Obediencia Debida
Ley de Obediencia Debida
Ley de Obediencia Debida was a law passed by the National Congress of Argentina after the end of the military dictatorship of the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional . Formally, this law is referred to by number Ley de Obediencia Debida (Spanish, Law of Due Obedience) was a law passed by the...
and the Ley de Punto Final
Ley de Punto Final
Ley de Punto Final was a law passed by the National Congress of Argentina after the end of the military dictatorship of the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional . Formally, this law is referred to by number Ley de Punto Final (Spanish, roughly translated Full Stop Law) was a law passed by the...
) that pardoned those responsible for human rights abuses during the Proceso. She stood as a candidate for 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 without success.
In 1993, Fernández Meijide, by now 62 years old, was elected a deputy for 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...
city. She was elected to the Argentine Senate
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...
in 1995 for the city. During this time the newly-formed FrePaSo's popularity and her own grew. In 1997, she resigned her seat in the Senate and was elected a deputy once again, but now for Buenos Aires Province, in a resounding victory over Justicialist
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...
Chiche Duhalde
Hilda de Duhalde
Hilda Beatriz 'Chiche' González de Duhalde is a politician in Argentina. She is a Senator for Buenos Aires Province and the wife of former President Eduardo Duhalde....
, greatly increasing her profile. FrePaSo joined with the 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 several provincial parties to create the Alianza in opposition to President
President of Argentina
The President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
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:...
, and she led the Alianza majority in the lower house of the Argentine Congress.
Ahead of the 1999 Presidential election, Fernández Meijide contested the internal election to be the candidate for the Alianza against radical Fernando de la Rúa
Fernando de la Rúa
Fernando de la Rúa is an Argentine politician. He was president of the country from December 10, 1999 to December 21, 2001 for the Alliance for Work, Justice and Education ....
, which she lost despite having been the front-runner in many polls. She declined to be de la Rúa's running mate and announced her candidature to be Governor of Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
. However she was not successful in the gubernatorial election.
De la Rúa, on the other hand, was elected President, and he appointed Fernández Meijide to his cabinet as minister of social development and environment http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Argentina.htm. She was unable to put many of her social plans into action, however, due to lack of funds, and her popularity waned as the public's impatience grew. In 2001, in a reshuffle brought on by economic and social crisis, the President made her chief of cabinet; however she resigned after a few days in protest at the government's economic policies. De la Rúa's government and the Alianza subsequently collapsed in 2001 and both the UCR and FrePaSo backed the presidency of Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
to remedy the country's economic crisis.