Guillermo Estévez Boero
Encyclopedia
Guillermo Estévez Boero (28 December 1930 – 3 February 2000) was an Argentine
student activist, lawyer and Socialist
politician.
Estévez Boero was born in Rosario
, Santa Fe Province
, and studied Law at the National University of the Littoral
, where he was a disciple of the Spanish
criminal expert and President in exile of the Second Spanish Republic
Luis Jiménez de Asúa
. In 1952–1953 he presided the Students' Center. In 1958 he organized a massive demonstration of workers and students against the privatization
of universities, and the next year he was elected president of the Argentine University Federation (FUA).
movement initiated in 1918, and in 1960 he founded the National Reformist Movement (MNR), a Socialist university movement which is acknowledged as one of the most representative organizations of Argentina's student activist movements.
In 1971 he wrote Realidad Política Argentina (RPA), where he maintains that the two largest and politically most important parties of Argentina, the Radical Civic Union
and the Justicialist Party
(Peronism
) are popular movements opposed to the local and foreign economic elites, and that the cycle of democratic governments followed by coups d'état
that had become commonplace in Argentina could only be stopped by an agreement between Peronists, Radicals and progressive
political forces that gave rise to a stable democracy founded on an economic system of "national liberation". RPA had a profound influence among the political leaders that arose in the 1970s and achieved the goal of a stable democracy from 1983 on.
In 1972 Estévez Boero founded the Popular Socialist Party
(PSP), aiming to build a Socialist political organization that was not opposed to Radicalism and Peronism.
Isabel Martínez de Perón
in 1976, and started a military dictatorship, whose leaders styled it "National Reorganization Process
". Estévez Boero opposed the military juntas and kept the PSP active despite the ban on political activity commanded by the de facto government and enforced using brutal repression and state terrorism
. He denounced the widespread violation of human rights
in Argentina at international forums such as the Socialist International
.
The PSP took part in union- and student-led resistance against the dictatorship, such as the general strike called by a faction of the General Confederation of Labour
in 1979, the 1981 Saint Cajetan
's Day demonstration, and the demonstration of 30 March 1982 organized by the Brazil
ian Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores
.
, and facing an economic crisis, the leaders of the dictatorship called for elections in 1983. Estévez Boero ran for president representing the PSP. The Radical Raúl Alfonsín
was elected. Estévez Boero was chosen to represent Santa Fe in the national Chamber of Deputies
in 1987, thus becoming the first Socialist legislator since the death of Alfredo Palacios
in 1965. He was reelected in 1991, 1995 and 1999.
In the meantime, Estévez Boero ran again for president in 1989. President Alfonsín was succeeded (amid an economic crisis which included food riots
in Rosario) by the Justicialist Carlos Menem
.
While still a Deputy, he was also elected member of the Assembly that dealt with the 1994 reform of the Argentine Constitution
, and he played a major role in the crafting of the border treaty between Argentina and Chile
of 1998, which dealt with the division of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field
.
Around this time he was diagnosed with leukemia
. He endured a harsh treatment and a successful surgery in October 1999. In January 2000, disregarding medical counsel, he traveled to Chile to attend the inauguration of President Ricardo Lagos
, the first Chilean Socialist president after the death of his friend Salvador Allende
. Still immunologically weak, he contracted acute pneumonia
and could not recover.
He died in Buenos Aires
on 3 February. His funeral was conducted at the National Congress
and attended by leaders of the whole political spectrum, including President Fernando de la Rúa
. Vice-president Carlos Álvarez
said in his speech:
The remains were then sent by airplane to Rosario, where his wife and sons, along with other political leaders and surrounded by a crowd, had him buried in the family's mausoleum at the Saviour's Cemetery.
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...
student activist, lawyer and Socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
politician.
Estévez Boero was born in Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, Santa Fe Province
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
, and studied Law at the National University of the Littoral
National University of the Littoral
The National University of the Littoral is a university in Argentina. It is based in Santa Fe, the capital of the province of the same name, and it has colleges and other academic facilities in Esperanza, Reconquista and Gálvez, also in Santa Fe Province.-History:The original institution was...
, where he was a disciple of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
criminal expert and President in exile of the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
Luis Jiménez de Asúa
Luis Jiménez de Asúa
Luis Jiménez de Asúa was a jurist and Spanish politician. He was vice president of the Spanish parliament and representative of that country before the United Nations. During the Francoist dictatorship he exiled himself to Argentina...
. In 1952–1953 he presided the Students' Center. In 1958 he organized a massive demonstration of workers and students against the privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
of universities, and the next year he was elected president of the Argentine University Federation (FUA).
Early political career
Estévez Boero was a staunch supporter of the University ReformUniversity Revolution
The University Revolution or Argentine university reform of 1918 was a general modernization of the universities, especially tending towards democratization, brought about by student activism. The events started in Córdoba and spread to the rest of Argentina, and then through much of Latin America...
movement initiated in 1918, and in 1960 he founded the National Reformist Movement (MNR), a Socialist university movement which is acknowledged as one of the most representative organizations of Argentina's student activist movements.
In 1971 he wrote Realidad Política Argentina (RPA), where he maintains that the two largest and politically most important parties of Argentina, 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...
and the 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...
(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...
) are popular movements opposed to the local and foreign economic elites, and that the cycle of democratic governments followed by coups d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that had become commonplace in Argentina could only be stopped by an agreement between Peronists, Radicals and progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
political forces that gave rise to a stable democracy founded on an economic system of "national liberation". RPA had a profound influence among the political leaders that arose in the 1970s and achieved the goal of a stable democracy from 1983 on.
In 1972 Estévez Boero founded the Popular Socialist Party
Popular Socialist Party (Argentina)
The Popular Socialist Party was a political party in Argentina formed in 1972 with the merger of the Argentine Socialist Party, the Movimiento de Acción Popular Argentino and other minor groups....
(PSP), aiming to build a Socialist political organization that was not opposed to Radicalism and Peronism.
The dictatorship
A coup d'état ousted PresidentPresident 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...
Isabel Martínez de Perón
Isabel Martínez de Perón
María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón , better known as Isabel Martínez de Perón or Isabel Perón, is a former President of Argentina. She was also the third wife of another former President, Juan Perón...
in 1976, and started a military dictatorship, whose leaders styled it "National Reorganization Process
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...
". Estévez Boero opposed the military juntas and kept the PSP active despite the ban on political activity commanded by the de facto government and enforced using brutal repression and state terrorism
State terrorism
State terrorism may refer to acts of terrorism conducted by a state against a foreign state or people. It can also refer to acts of violence by a state against its own people.-Definition:...
. He denounced the widespread violation of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
in Argentina at international forums such as the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
.
The PSP took part in union- and student-led resistance against the dictatorship, such as the general strike called by a faction of the General Confederation of Labour
General Confederation of Labour (Argentina)
The General Confederation of Labour of the Argentine Republic is a national trade union centre of Argentina founded on September 27, 1930, as the result of the merge of the USA and the COA trade union centres...
in 1979, the 1981 Saint Cajetan
Saint Cajetan
Saint Cajetan , born Gaetano dei Conti di Tiene , is a Catholic Church saint and founder of the order of the Clerics Regular, better known as the Theatines...
's Day demonstration, and the demonstration of 30 March 1982 organized by the Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores
Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores
The Confederação Geral dos Trabalhadores is the second-largest federation of labor unions in Brazil. Founded in 1986, the CGT is close to the centrist Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement .-External links:*...
.
Return to democracy
After the defeat of Argentina in the Falklands WarFalklands 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...
, and facing an economic crisis, the leaders of the dictatorship called for elections in 1983. Estévez Boero ran for president representing the PSP. The Radical 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...
was elected. Estévez Boero was chosen to represent Santa Fe in the national 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 1987, thus becoming the first Socialist legislator since the death of Alfredo Palacios
Alfredo Palacios
Alfredo Lorenzo Palacios was an Argentine socialist politician.Palacios was born in Buenos Aires, and studied law at Universidad de Buenos Aires, after graduation he became a lawyer and taught at the university until becoming a dean.In 1902, he was elected to the Buenos Aires' legislature, and in...
in 1965. He was reelected in 1991, 1995 and 1999.
In the meantime, Estévez Boero ran again for president in 1989. President Alfonsín was succeeded (amid an economic crisis which included food riots
1989 riots in Argentina
The 1989 food riots were a series of riots and related episodes of looting in stores and supermarkets in Argentina, during the last part of the presidency of Raúl Alfonsín, between May and June 1989...
in Rosario) by the Justicialist 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:...
.
While still a Deputy, he was also elected member of the Assembly that dealt with the 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...
, and he played a major role in the crafting of the border treaty between Argentina and Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
of 1998, which dealt with the division of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field
Southern Patagonian Ice Field
The Southern Patagonian Ice Field , located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Argentina and Chile, is the second largest contiguous extrapolar extent of ice in the world...
.
Around this time he was diagnosed with leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
. He endured a harsh treatment and a successful surgery in October 1999. In January 2000, disregarding medical counsel, he traveled to Chile to attend the inauguration of President Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar is a lawyer, economist and social democrat politician, who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. He won the 1999-2000 presidential election by a narrow margin in a runoff over Independent Democrat Union candidate Joaquín Lavín...
, the first Chilean Socialist president after the death of his friend 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....
. Still immunologically weak, he contracted acute pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
and could not recover.
He died in 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...
on 3 February. His funeral was conducted at the National Congress
Argentine National Congress
The Congress of the Argentine Nation is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies....
and attended by leaders of the whole political spectrum, including President 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 ....
. Vice-president Carlos Álvarez
Carlos Álvarez (vice-president)
Carlos Alberto "Chacho" Álvarez is an Argentine politician; he was Vice-President of Argentina during part of President Fernando de la Rúa's mandate, and currently heads the Aladi Secretariat....
said in his speech:
"One of our best men is gone from us, just at a time when we needed him most to revert the loss of prestige that afflicts the political class. Estévez Boero embraced politics with a passion, not to fulfill personal ambitions or to augment his wealth, but to realize the ideal he had assumed since he was very young: making a great country, which may provide opportunities to live with dignity."
The remains were then sent by airplane to Rosario, where his wife and sons, along with other political leaders and surrounded by a crowd, had him buried in the family's mausoleum at the Saviour's Cemetery.
External links
- Fundación Estévez Boero.
- Página/12, 5 February 2000. Toda la dirigencia política honró a Estévez Boero.