Federal Peronism
Encyclopedia
Federal Peronism or Dissident Peronism (Peronismo disidente), are the informal names given to a changing alliance of Justicialist Party
figures, currently identified mostly by its opposition to ruling Kirchnerism
, the center-left faction that heads the national Government of Argentina
and leads the Peronist
movement.
The term "Federal Peronism," as opposed to "metropolitan Peronism" (mainly from Greater Buenos Aires
), was informally used since the 1980s to identify the more traditional and conservative Peronists from the Provinces of Argentina
, whose governors grew in number and influence during the administration of President Carlos Menem
.
"Dissident Peronism" is more properly used to refer to the Peronist opposition to the administrations and party leadership of left-leaning Néstor Kirchner
and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
. The term gained currency since the 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector
, when a number of party leaders, governors and legislators (mainly from the agroexporter provinces) withdrew their support of the national government.
Fernando de la Rúa
on December 21, 2001, the opposition Justicialist Party
won a majority in both houses of the Argentine Congress
in the October 2001 mid-term elections
. The first interim President of Argentina elected by Congress after de la Rúa's resignation, San Luis Province
Senator Adolfo Rodríguez Saá
, had the support of a group of governors and legislators from the hinterland provinces, from where the informal designation of Federal Peronism originated. He resigned a week later, however, after failing to gain support from other factions of Peronism, from organized labor
, and other sectors of Argentine society. The former Governor of Buenos Aires Province
and runner-up in the 1999 general election, Eduardo Duhalde
was elected by the Congress as interim President of Argentina on January 2, 2002.
Duhalde, who counted on the support of Buenos Aires Province Peronism and some labor union leaders, called elections for April 2003
, and persuaded the fractious Justicialist Party
to present candidates directly to the general elections, without party primaries. After attempting to endorse other candidates (Carlos Reutemann
, who refused to run, and José Manuel de la Sota
, who did badly at the polls), Duhalde threw his support behind the little-known Governor of Santa Cruz Province
, Néstor Kirchner
. Federal Peronists, in turn, were represented in the elections by two factions, one headed by former President Carlos Menem
and Governor of Salta Province José Luis Romero, identified with the policies spoused by Menem's 1989-99 presidency, and the other by Adolfo Rodríguez Saá and his brother, Alberto Rodríguez Saá
,, in an alliance with UCR
lawmaker Melchor Posse. Menem and Kirchner emerged as the runoff candidates, but the former President withdrew on May 14 as he anticipated a landslide defeat (the polls favored Kirchner 70%–30%), and Kirchner became the president-elect.
The alliance between President Kirchner and Duhalde had been dissolved by the 2005 mid-term elections
. Kirchner and Duhalde fielded their respective wives (each an influential lawmaker in her own right), Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
and Hilda González de Duhalde, as leaders of their party lists in Buenos Aires Province
(the nation's largest constituency). The landslide victory of the Kirchners' FpV consolidated their leadership role in the Justicialist Party, and this in turn forced Duhalde to break with the official Peronist body, the Justicialist Party, in which Kirchnerism
had become the dominant force. He thus established Federal Peronism on November 4, 2005, and gathered a caucus of 25 Congressmen in its support. They later backed Alberto Rodríguez Saá's conservative Peronist candidacy in the 2007 presidential elections
, where Mrs. Kirchner was elected to succeed her husband with 45% of the vote (twice that of the runner-up, and six times that of Rodríguez Saá).
Dissident Peronism was united by its opposition to Kirchner's Front for Victory
(FpV), which became the leading vehicle for left-wing Peronists and incorporated much of the official Peronist structure. Among the early leaders in Dissident Peronism also included Misiones Province
Senator Ramón Puerta
, Buenos Aires Province Congressman Carlos Ruckauf
, and union leader Luis Barrionuevo. Barrionuevo, unlike most members of the CGT
, was allied with Menem, who arguably remained the most prominent spokesman for neo-liberal policies in Argentina.
The 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector
over a proposed rise in export tariffs led to a sharp drop in presidential approval ratings, and numerous FpV lawmakers from more agrarian provinces broke with the party. The defections, which included 16 Lower House
members and 4 Senators, thus resulted in the reemergence of Federal Peronism. The conflict also propmted Luis Barrionuevo, whose alliance with Menem had cost him support in the CGT, to organize a splinter trade union confederation, the "Blue and White CGT," to challenge the center-left wing leadership of Secretary General Hugo Moyano
, albeit unsuccessfully. A dissident Peronist who as an ally of Menem had never joined the FpV, businessman Francisco de Narváez
, in turn formed an alliance with the center-right PRO
in Buenos Aires Province and the city of Buenos Aires for the 2009 elections
.
The elections resulted in a setback for the governing, center-left Front for Victory and its allies, which lost their absolute majorities in both houses of Congress. Former President Néstor Kirchner stood as head of the FpV party list in the important Buenos Aires Province. Kirchner's list was defeated, however, by the center-right PRO/Federal Peronism list headed by de Narváez; the loss in Buenos Aires Province, though narrow, was significant as the province had helped maintain Kirchnerism as the dominant force in Argentine politics since 2003.
Federal Peronism emerged from the 2009 mid-term elections with 45 Congressmen and 10 Senators, becoming the fourth and third-largest caucus in each house, respectively. The alliance began preparations for the October 2011 elections
by agreeing to a primary election for April 3, thereby uniting behind a single candidate. Among the candidates running in the Federal Peronist primary are: former President Eduardo Duhalde; Senators Adolfo Rodríguez Saá, Juan Carlos Romero, and Carlos Reutemann
; Congressmen Felipe Solá
and Francisco de Narváez; and Governor Mario Das Neves
. An alliance with PRO was also actively considered, though Macri expressed unwillingness to accept a running mate from outside PRO ranks.
Polling in early 2011 revealed that Federal Peronism trailed other candidates, including likely nominees Ricardo Alfonsín
(UCR), Mauricio Macri
(PRO), and Pino Solanas (Proyecto Sur
). None would be likely to force President Cristina Kirchner into a runoff, however.
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...
figures, currently identified mostly by its opposition to ruling Kirchnerism
Kirchnerism
Kirchnerism is a term used to refer to the political philosophy and supporters of Néstor Kirchner, president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, and of his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President from 2007...
, the center-left faction that heads the national Government of Argentina
Government of Argentina
The government of Argentina, functioning within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. Legislative power is vested in both the...
and leads the Peronist
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...
movement.
The term "Federal Peronism," as opposed to "metropolitan Peronism" (mainly from 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...
), was informally used since the 1980s to identify the more traditional and conservative Peronists from the Provinces of Argentina
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
, whose governors grew in number and influence during the administration of 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:...
.
"Dissident Peronism" is more properly used to refer to the Peronist opposition to the administrations and party leadership of left-leaning Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
. The term gained currency since the 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector
2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector
The 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector started in March 2008, which then extended into a prolonged period of turbulent politics...
, when a number of party leaders, governors and legislators (mainly from the agroexporter provinces) withdrew their support of the national government.
Overview
Following the crisis that precipitated the resignation of 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...
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 December 21, 2001, 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...
won a majority in both houses of the Argentine 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....
in the October 2001 mid-term elections
Argentine legislative election, 2001
Argentina held national parliamentary elections on Sunday, 14 October 2001. Turnout was 75.6% and the results were as follows:-Chamber of Deputies:-Senate:-Background:...
. The first interim President of Argentina elected by Congress after de la Rúa's resignation, San Luis Province
San Luis Province
San Luis is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country . Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.-History:...
Senator Adolfo Rodríguez Saá
Adolfo Rodríguez Saá
Adolfo Rodríguez Saá Páez Montero is an Argentine Peronist politician. He was the governor of the province of San Luis during several terms, and briefly served as President of Argentina.-Biography:...
, had the support of a group of governors and legislators from the hinterland provinces, from where the informal designation of Federal Peronism originated. He resigned a week later, however, after failing to gain support from other factions of Peronism, from organized labor
Trade unions in Argentina
Trade unions in Argentina have traditionally played a strong role in the politics of the nation. The largest trade union association, the Confederación General del Trabajo has been a force since the 1930s, and approximately 40% of workers in the formal economy are unionized.- The FORA :The...
, and other sectors of Argentine society. The former 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...
and runner-up in the 1999 general election, Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
was elected by the Congress as interim President of Argentina on January 2, 2002.
Duhalde, who counted on the support of Buenos Aires Province Peronism and some labor union leaders, called elections for April 2003
Argentine general election, 2003
Argentina held presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 27, 2003. Turnout was 78.2% and the results were as follows:-Argentine Congress:-Background:...
, and persuaded the fractious 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...
to present candidates directly to the general elections, without party primaries. After attempting to endorse other candidates (Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Alberto Reutemann , nicknamed "Lole", is an Argentine former racing driver , and later a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party....
, who refused to run, and José Manuel de la Sota
José Manuel de la Sota
José Manuel de la Sota is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician. He was the governor of Córdoba Province from 1999 until 2007.-Biography:...
, who did badly at the polls), Duhalde threw his support behind the little-known Governor of Santa Cruz Province
Santa Cruz Province (Argentina)
Santa Cruz is a province of Argentina, located in the southern part of the country, in Patagonia. It borders Chubut province to the north, and Chile to the west and south. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean...
, Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
. Federal Peronists, in turn, were represented in the elections by two factions, one headed by former 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:...
and Governor of Salta Province José Luis Romero, identified with the policies spoused by Menem's 1989-99 presidency, and the other by Adolfo Rodríguez Saá and his brother, Alberto Rodríguez Saá
Alberto Rodríguez Saá
Alberto José Rodriguez Saá is an Argentine lawyer and politician. In 2007 he was reelected as governor of San Luis Province, Argentina to serve what will be his second term lasting until 2011...
,, in an alliance with UCR
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...
lawmaker Melchor Posse. Menem and Kirchner emerged as the runoff candidates, but the former President withdrew on May 14 as he anticipated a landslide defeat (the polls favored Kirchner 70%–30%), and Kirchner became the president-elect.
The alliance between President Kirchner and Duhalde had been dissolved by the 2005 mid-term elections
Argentine legislative election, 2005
Argentina held national parliamentary elections on Sunday, 23 October 2005. For the purpose of these elections, each of the 23 provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires are considered electoral districts....
. Kirchner and Duhalde fielded their respective wives (each an influential lawmaker in her own right), Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
and Hilda González de Duhalde, as leaders of their party lists in 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...
(the nation's largest constituency). The landslide victory of the Kirchners' FpV consolidated their leadership role in the Justicialist Party, and this in turn forced Duhalde to break with the official Peronist body, the Justicialist Party, in which Kirchnerism
Kirchnerism
Kirchnerism is a term used to refer to the political philosophy and supporters of Néstor Kirchner, president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, and of his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President from 2007...
had become the dominant force. He thus established Federal Peronism on November 4, 2005, and gathered a caucus of 25 Congressmen in its support. They later backed Alberto Rodríguez Saá's conservative Peronist candidacy in the 2007 presidential elections
Argentine general election, 2007
Argentina held national presidential and legislative elections on October 28, 2007, and elections for provincial governors took place on staggered dates throughout the year. For the national elections, each of the 23 provinces and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires are considered electoral districts...
, where Mrs. Kirchner was elected to succeed her husband with 45% of the vote (twice that of the runner-up, and six times that of Rodríguez Saá).
Dissident Peronism was united by its opposition to Kirchner's Front for Victory
Front for Victory
The Front for Victory is a Peronist political party and electoral alliance in Argentina, although it is formally a faction of the Justicialist Party. Both the former President Néstor Kirchner and the current President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner belong to this party, located on the left-wing...
(FpV), which became the leading vehicle for left-wing Peronists and incorporated much of the official Peronist structure. Among the early leaders in Dissident Peronism also included Misiones Province
Misiones Province
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamiсa region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north, east and south, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest.- History :The province was...
Senator Ramón Puerta
Ramón Puerta
Federico Ramón Puerta is an Argentine Peronist politician who has served as a governor, senator and national deputy and effectively acted as President of Argentina during 2001.-Biography:...
, Buenos Aires Province Congressman Carlos Ruckauf
Carlos Ruckauf
Carlos Federico Ruckauf is a Peronist politician in Argentina, member of the Justicialist Party.-Biography:Carlos Federico Ruckauf was born in the western Buenos Aires suburb of Ramos Mejía. His parents separated when he was seven, and he lived in Mar del Plata, Salta, and Buenos Aires during the...
, and union leader Luis Barrionuevo. Barrionuevo, unlike most members of the CGT
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...
, was allied with Menem, who arguably remained the most prominent spokesman for neo-liberal policies in Argentina.
The 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector
2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector
The 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector started in March 2008, which then extended into a prolonged period of turbulent politics...
over a proposed rise in export tariffs led to a sharp drop in presidential approval ratings, and numerous FpV lawmakers from more agrarian provinces broke with the party. The defections, which included 16 Lower House
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....
members and 4 Senators, thus resulted in the reemergence of Federal Peronism. The conflict also propmted Luis Barrionuevo, whose alliance with Menem had cost him support in the CGT, to organize a splinter trade union confederation, the "Blue and White CGT," to challenge the center-left wing leadership of Secretary General Hugo Moyano
Hugo Moyano
Hugo Moyano is an Argentine labor leader and Secretary General of the CGT, the nation's largest trade union.-Early life and career:...
, albeit unsuccessfully. A dissident Peronist who as an ally of Menem had never joined the FpV, businessman Francisco de Narváez
Francisco de Narváez
Francisco de Narváez , known as El Colorado or Pancho, is a Colombian-born naturalized Argentine businessman, politician who ran for governor of Buenos Aires Province on the PRO ballot in the 2007 elections in Argentina...
, in turn formed an alliance with the center-right PRO
Republican Proposal
Republican Proposal is a right-wing political party in Argentina. It is usually referred to as PRO. PRO was formed as an electoral alliance in 2005, but was transformed into a unitary party on 3 June 2010....
in Buenos Aires Province and the city of Buenos Aires for the 2009 elections
Argentine legislative election, 2009
Legislative elections were held in Argentina for half the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the seats in the Senate on 28 June 2009, as well as for the legislature of the City of Buenos Aires and other municipalities.-Background:...
.
The elections resulted in a setback for the governing, center-left Front for Victory and its allies, which lost their absolute majorities in both houses of Congress. Former President Néstor Kirchner stood as head of the FpV party list in the important Buenos Aires Province. Kirchner's list was defeated, however, by the center-right PRO/Federal Peronism list headed by de Narváez; the loss in Buenos Aires Province, though narrow, was significant as the province had helped maintain Kirchnerism as the dominant force in Argentine politics since 2003.
Federal Peronism emerged from the 2009 mid-term elections with 45 Congressmen and 10 Senators, becoming the fourth and third-largest caucus in each house, respectively. The alliance began preparations for the October 2011 elections
Argentine general election, 2011
Argentina held national presidential and legislative elections on 23 October 2011. Incumbent president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner secured a second term in office after the Front for Victory won just over half of the seats in the National Congress....
by agreeing to a primary election for April 3, thereby uniting behind a single candidate. Among the candidates running in the Federal Peronist primary are: former President Eduardo Duhalde; Senators Adolfo Rodríguez Saá, Juan Carlos Romero, and Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Reutemann
Carlos Alberto Reutemann , nicknamed "Lole", is an Argentine former racing driver , and later a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party....
; Congressmen Felipe Solá
Felipe Solá
Felipe Solá is an Argentine politician of the Justicialist Party and was the governor of the province of Buenos Aires until he left office in 2007....
and Francisco de Narváez; and Governor Mario Das Neves
Mario Das Neves
Mario Das Neves is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician. He is the governor of the Argentine province of Chubut.-Biography:Das Neves was born in Avellaneda to Portuguese parents, and grew up in Santa Fe...
. An alliance with PRO was also actively considered, though Macri expressed unwillingness to accept a running mate from outside PRO ranks.
Polling in early 2011 revealed that Federal Peronism trailed other candidates, including likely nominees Ricardo Alfonsín
Ricardo Alfonsín
Ricardo Alfonsín is an Argentine lawyer, academic and politician prominent in the Radical Civic Union. His father, Raúl Alfonsín, was the President of Argentina from 1983 to 1989.-Life and times:...
(UCR), Mauricio Macri
Mauricio Macri
Mauricio Macri is an Argentine businessman turned politician, and Head of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Son of Francisco Macri, a businessman of Italian origin prominent in the industrial and construction sectors, he represented the City of Buenos Aires in the Lower House of...
(PRO), and Pino Solanas (Proyecto Sur
Proyecto Sur
Proyecto Sur is a political party established in 2007 in Argentina. It was founded and would be led by film maker Fernando "Pino" Solanas, who ran on the Proyecto Sur ticket for President in 2007 and for Mayor of the City of Buenos Aires in 2011....
). None would be likely to force President Cristina Kirchner into a runoff, however.