Facundo Suárez
Encyclopedia
Facundo Suárez was an Argentine
Radical Civic Union
(UCR) politician.
, in 1923. His father, Leopoldo Suárez, served as the Minister of Public Works in Mendoza Province
. He enrolled at the University of La Plata, and became acquainted with Buenos Aires Province
legislator Ricardo Balbín
of the centrist UCR. Suárez joined the UCR in 1941, and was later elected delegate to the Argentine University Federation
. He earned a Law Degree
at La Plata, and a Doctorate
in Political Science
at the University of Cuyo. He was elected to the Mendoza Chamber of Deputies, serving from 1948 to 1952, and in 1958, to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
. He ran for governor in 1963, and was defeated by Democratic Party
leader Francisco Gabrielli. The newly-elected President of Argentina, Arturo Illia of the UCR, appointed Suárez chairman of the national oil company, YPF. He was one of the first UCR officials to meet the exiled populist leader, former President Juan Perón
, at the latter's Puerta de Hierro residence in Madrid
.
Suárez was removed from his post at YPF by the 1966 military coup against Illia. He developed a good working relationshoip with the banned Peronist movement, and had become a close adviser to party leader Ricardo Balbín when the dictatorship called for general elections in 1973. Balbín chose his running-mate, Fernando de la Rúa
, on his advice. The UCR ticket was defeated in the 1973 elections
, and Suárez did not return to active politics until a decade later, when a subsequent dictatorship called new elections. The winner of the 1983 elections
, Raúl Alfonsín
, had challenged Suárez's mentor, Balbín, for the leadership of the UCR in 1972. He nevertheless appointed Suárez director of Segba, the state electric utility
company then serving Greater Buenos Aires
. He served a stint as Ambassador to Mexico, from 1985 to 1986, and was named director of Argentine Intelligence Service
.
Suárez proposed making the SIDE expense account, long a source of controversy in Argentina due to its classified nature, a matter of Congressional purview. Though the proposal was not enacted by Congress, Suárez made the agency's budget public, and during his 1986—89 tenure, this amount doubled. His tenure coincided with a number of scandals, however, including the filming of the UCR's 1989 presidential campaign television ads on a SIDE base, with employees in the background, the involvement of numerous SIDE officials in the far-right Carapintadas
, and the surveillance of opposition senators
for human weaknesses to be used against them in future political operations.
Following Alfoonsín's departure in 1989, Suárez served in the UCR National Committee, and was elected to the 1994 Constitutional Amendments Convention. His son, Facundo Suárez Lastra, also became a politician and served as Mayor of Buenos Aires
from 1986 to 1989.
Suárez developed cancer, and died in Buenos Aires
in 1998, at age 74.
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.
Biography
Suárez was born in Mendoza, ArgentinaMendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
, in 1923. His father, Leopoldo Suárez, served as the Minister of Public Works in Mendoza Province
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
. He enrolled at the University of La Plata, and became acquainted with 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...
legislator 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....
of the centrist UCR. Suárez joined the UCR in 1941, and was later elected delegate to the Argentine University Federation
Federación Universitaria Argentina
The Argentine University Federation is the most important student organization in Argentina...
. He earned a Law Degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
at La Plata, and a Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at the University of Cuyo. He was elected to the Mendoza Chamber of Deputies, serving from 1948 to 1952, and in 1958, 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....
. He ran for governor in 1963, and was defeated by Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Mendoza)
The Democratic Party of Mendoza is a provincial conservative party in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It was founded around 1930.Since the return of the democracy in 1983, the party has been the third political force in Mendoza, except in 1999 when it won the second position in the elections.It is a...
leader Francisco Gabrielli. The newly-elected President of Argentina, Arturo Illia of the UCR, appointed Suárez chairman of the national oil company, YPF. He was one of the first UCR officials to meet the exiled populist leader, former 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...
, at the latter's Puerta de Hierro residence in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Suárez was removed from his post at YPF by the 1966 military coup against Illia. He developed a good working relationshoip with the banned Peronist movement, and had become a close adviser to party leader Ricardo Balbín when the dictatorship called for general elections in 1973. Balbín chose his running-mate, 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 ....
, on his advice. The UCR ticket was defeated in the 1973 elections
Argentine general election, September 1973
The second Argentine general election of 1973 was held on 23 September. Turnout was 85.5%, and it produced the following results:-Background:...
, and Suárez did not return to active politics until a decade later, when a subsequent dictatorship called new elections. The winner of the 1983 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...
, 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...
, had challenged Suárez's mentor, Balbín, for the leadership of the UCR in 1972. He nevertheless appointed Suárez director of Segba, the state electric utility
Electric utility
An electric utility is a company that engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity for sale generally in a regulated market. The electrical utility industry is a major provider of energy in most countries. It is indispensable to factories, commercial establishments,...
company then serving Greater Buenos Aires
Greater 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...
. He served a stint as Ambassador to Mexico, from 1985 to 1986, and was named director of Argentine Intelligence Service
Side
Side was an ancient Greek city in Anatolia, in the region of Pamphylia, in what is now Antalya province, on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey...
.
Suárez proposed making the SIDE expense account, long a source of controversy in Argentina due to its classified nature, a matter of Congressional purview. Though the proposal was not enacted by Congress, Suárez made the agency's budget public, and during his 1986—89 tenure, this amount doubled. His tenure coincided with a number of scandals, however, including the filming of the UCR's 1989 presidential campaign television ads on a SIDE base, with employees in the background, the involvement of numerous SIDE officials in the far-right Carapintadas
Carapintadas
The were a group of mutineers in the Argentine Army, who took part in uprisings during the presidency of Raúl Alfonsín in Argentina.In December 1986, the Ley de Punto Final was introduced...
, and the surveillance of opposition senators
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 human weaknesses to be used against them in future political operations.
Following Alfoonsín's departure in 1989, Suárez served in the UCR National Committee, and was elected to the 1994 Constitutional Amendments Convention. His son, Facundo Suárez Lastra, also became a politician and served as Mayor 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...
from 1986 to 1989.
Suárez developed cancer, and 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...
in 1998, at age 74.