Jorge Obeid
Encyclopedia
Jorge Alberto Obeid is an Argentine
Justicialist Party
(PJ) politician, currently an Argentine Chamber of Deputies
and former governor of Santa Fe Province
until 2007.
Obeid was born in Diamante, Entre Ríos
but moved to Santa Fe to train as a chemical engineer. He was a young Peronist
activist but was forced to leave the country during the military government. He became a member of the legislative council of Santa Fe
and, as the President of the Council, became the mayor when the incumbent resigned.
Obeid became governor of the province for the first time in 1995, winning an election that was fraught with problems, including a breakdown in the computer system counting the ballots that forced a recount to be done by hand. Obeid was declared the winner after 37 days, after charges of fraud and manipulation. He was backed by outgoing governor Carlos Reutemann
and Buenos Aires Province
governor Eduardo Duhalde
and defeated the candidate of President Carlos Menem
. He served until 1999, when former governor Reutemann then served for a second four-year term.
After stepping down as governor, Obeid served in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
from 1999. He was re-elected as governor for a second term in 2003. Under his administration, and following his initiative, the provincial legislature repealed the controversial electoral law called Ley de Lemas
, which had allowed Obeid (twice) to win the governorship after obtaining less votes than his closest opponent. Obeid did not run for the governorship again, since the provincial constitution forbids reelection, but insteas headed the Front for Victory
list for the elections of national deputies. His term as governor ended in December 2007 and he was succeeded by the Socialist Hermes Binner
.
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...
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...
(PJ) politician, currently an 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....
and former governor of 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...
until 2007.
Obeid was born in Diamante, Entre Ríos
Diamante, Entre Ríos
Diamante is a city in the west of the province of Entre Ríos, Argentina, on the eastern shore of the Paraná River. It has about 20,000 inhabitants as per the . It is the head town of the Diamante Department....
but moved to Santa Fe to train as a chemical engineer. He was a young 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...
activist but was forced to leave the country during the military government. He became a member of the legislative council of Santa Fe
Santa Fe, Argentina
Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the...
and, as the President of the Council, became the mayor when the incumbent resigned.
Obeid became governor of the province for the first time in 1995, winning an election that was fraught with problems, including a breakdown in the computer system counting the ballots that forced a recount to be done by hand. Obeid was declared the winner after 37 days, after charges of fraud and manipulation. He was backed by outgoing governor 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....
and 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...
governor Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
and defeated the candidate 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:...
. He served until 1999, when former governor Reutemann then served for a second four-year term.
After stepping down as governor, Obeid served in 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....
from 1999. He was re-elected as governor for a second term in 2003. Under his administration, and following his initiative, the provincial legislature repealed the controversial electoral law called Ley de Lemas
Ley de Lemas
||The ley de lemas is the Spanish name of the double simultaneous voting system which is, or has been, used in elections in Argentina, Uruguay and Honduras...
, which had allowed Obeid (twice) to win the governorship after obtaining less votes than his closest opponent. Obeid did not run for the governorship again, since the provincial constitution forbids reelection, but insteas headed the 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...
list for the elections of national deputies. His term as governor ended in December 2007 and he was succeeded by the Socialist Hermes Binner
Hermes Binner
Hermes Juan Binner is an Argentine medical doctor and a politician. He was elected Governor of Santa Fe in 2007. Binner is the first Socialist to become the governor of an Argentine province, and the first non-Justicialist to rule Santa Fe since 1983.Binner was previously a Deputy of the Civic and...
.