Radical Civic Union
Encyclopedia
The Radical Civic Union (in Spanish, Unión Cívica Radical, UCR) 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. For many years the party was either in opposition to Peronist
governments or illegal during military rule.
, which was led by Bartolomé Mitre
and Leandro Alem
The party unsuccessfully led an attempt to force the early departure of President Miguel Juárez Celman in the Revolution of the Park
(Revolución del Parque). Eventually a compromise was reached with Juárez Celman's government. Hard-liners who opposed this agreement founded the current UCR, led by Alem's nephew, the young and charismatic Hipólito Yrigoyen
. In 1893 and 1905
the party led unsuccessful revolutions to overthrow the government. With the introduction of free, fair and confidential voting in elections based on universal adult male suffrage
in 1912 the Party managed to win the general elections of 1916, when Hipólito Yrigoyen became president. The Radical Civic Union remained in power during the next 14 years: Yrigoyen was succeeded by Marcelo T. de Alvear in 1922 and by himself in 1928. The first coup in Argentina's modern history occurred on September 6, 1930 and ousted an aging Yrigoyen amid an economic crisis resulting from the United States' Great Depression
.
From 1930 to 1958 the Radical Civic Union was confined to be the main opposition party, either to the Conservatives and the military during the 1930s and the early 1940s or to the Peronism during the late 1940s - early 1950s. It was only in 1958 when a faction of the party allied with banned peronists (the so called Intransigent Radical Civic Union) came back to power, led by Arturo Frondizi
. The growing tolerance of Frondizi towards his peronist allies provoked unrest in the army, which ousted the president in March 1962. After a brief military government, presidential elections took place in 1963 with the Peronist Party banned (as in 1958). The outcome of the elections saw the candidate of the People's Radical Civic Union (the other party's faction) Arturo Illia coming in the first place but with only 25% of the votes (approximately 19% of the votes were blank due to the peronism's banning). Although Argentina experienced during Illia's presidency one of the most successful periods of history in terms of the economic performance, the president was ousted by the army in June 1966. Illia's peaceful and ordered style of governing - sometimes considered too "slow" and "boring" - was being heavily criticized at the time.
During the 1970s Peronist government (1973–1976), the Radical Civic Union was the second most voted party, but this didn't actually grant the party the role of being the political opposition. In fact, the Peronist government's most important criticisms came from the same Peronist Party (now called Justicialist Party
). The UCR's leader in those times, Ricardo Balbín
, saluted Peron's coffin (Perón had died on July 1, 1974, during his third mandate as president) with the famous sentence "This old adversary salutes a great friend", thus marking the end of the peronist-radical rivalry that had marked the pace of the Argentine political scene until then. The growing fight between left-wing and right-wing Peronists took the country into chaos and many UCR members were targeted by both factions. The subsequent coup in 1976 ended the Peronist experience and "disappeared" many members of the UCR party as well.
Between 1983 and 1989 its leader, Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín, was the first democratically elected president
after the military dictatorship headed by generals such as Jorge Videla, Leopoldo Galtieri
and Reynaldo Bignone
. Alfonsín was succeeded by Carlos Saúl Menem of the Peronist Justicialist Party
(PJ).
In 1997 the UCR participated in elections in coalition with Front for a Country in Solidarity
(FREPASO), itself an alliance of many smaller parties. This strategy brought Fernando de la Rúa
to the presidency in the 1999 elections. During major riots
triggered by economic reforms implemented by the UCR government (with the advice of the International Monetary Fund
), President de la Rúa resigned and fled the country to prevent further turmoil. After three consecutive acting presidents assumed duties in the following weeks, Eduardo Duhalde
of the PJ took office until new elections could be held.
After the 2001 legislative elections it became the second largest party in the federal Chamber of Deputies
, winning 71 of 257 seats. It campaigned in an alliance with the smaller, more leftist FREPASO. The party has subsequently declined markedly and its candidate for President in 2003 gained just 2.34% of the vote, beaten by three Peronists and more seriously, by two former radicals, Ricardo López Murphy
of Recrear and Elisa Carrió
of ARI, who have leached members, support and profile from the UCR. In the 2005 legislative elections, the UCR was reduced to 35 deputies and 13 senators, but remains the second force in Argentine politics.
, supported by former president Raúl Alfonsín.
In May 2005, the National Committee of the UCR, then led by Ángel Rozas
, intervened (suspended of authorities of) the Provincial Committee of the UCR in Tierra del Fuego Province after Radical governor Jorge Colazo
spoke in favour of Kirchner's reelection. The intervention was rejected by the Provincial Committee.
A party convention held in Rosario
in August 2006 officially rejected the possibility of alliances with Kirchner's faction of Justicialism and granted former Party President Roberto Iglesias
the permission to negotiate with other political forces. This led to several months of talks with Lavagna.
The continued dissidence of the Radicales K
prompted the intervention of the UCR Provincial Committee of Mendoza
on 1 November 2006, due to the public support of President Kirchner by Mendoza's governor, the Radical Julio Cobos
. The measure was short-lived, as the Mendoza Province Electoral Justice overturned it three days later.
Deputy and UCR National Committee Secretary General Margarita Stolbizer
stated that the party is virtually "broken due to the stance of the leaders who support the alliance [with Kirchner]".
Roberto Iglesias eventually resigned the presidency of the party in November 2006 due to differences with Lavagna, having reached the conclusion that an alliance with him would be a mistake, and joined Stolbizer's camp, maintaining that the party should look for its own candidate (the so-called Radicales R). On 1 December 2006 the National Committee appointed Jujuy Province
Senator Gerardo Morales
as its new president. Morales stated that he wanted to follow the mandate of the Rosario convention (that is, looking for a possible alliance with Roberto Lavagna).
Morales went on to become Lavagna's running mate in the presidential election of October 2007
, coming third. Although this campaign represented the mainstream of the national UCR leadership, substantial elements backed other candidates, notably the Radicales K. Cobos was elected Vice President as the running mate of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner through the Plural Consensus
alliance, and several Radicals were elected to Congress as part of the Kirchners' Front for Victory
faction. The official UCR ranks in Congress were reduced to 30 in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies
and 10 in the Argentine Senate
.
In recent years the UCR has been riven by an internal dispute between those who support left-wing policies of Peronist President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
and her husband and predecessor Néstor Kirchner
. However, most Radicales K support for the Kirchners ended by mid 2008, when Vice President Julio Cobos
opposed the Government bill on agricultural export taxes
. He later rejoined UCR, becoming a prominent figure in the opposition, despite being still the Vice President.
The UCR joined the Civic and Social Agreement
to run for the June 2009 elections
. The loose coalition obtained 29% of the national votes and came a close second to the Front for Victory and allies
national outcomes. The Party's reorganization, as well as the 2009 elections, resulted in a rebound of the party representatives at the National Congress
. By May 2010, its ranks were 42 Deputies and 14 Senators, becoming the first minority party in both houses.
and Santiago del Estero
.
In Santa Fe
, the UCR has teamed up with the Socialist Party
to support Socialist candidate for governor Hermes Binner
, in exchange for the vice-governorship, taken by the former governor Aldo Tessio
's daughter, the fiscal federal Griselda Tessio
, winning the 2007 elections.
Presidents of the National Committee:
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in 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...
. The party's positions on issues range from liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
to social democratic
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
. The UCR is a member of 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 :...
. Founded in 1891 by radical
Radicalism (historical)
The term Radical was used during the late 18th century for proponents of the Radical Movement. It later became a general pejorative term for those favoring or seeking political reforms which include dramatic changes to the social order...
liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina. For many years the party was either in opposition to 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...
governments or illegal during military rule.
History
The party was a spin-off of the Civic UnionCivic Union (Argentina)
The Civic Union was a short-lived political party in Argentina, founded on April 13, 1890 out of the Civic Union of the Youth. That same year it led the Revolution of the Park that forced President Miguel Juárez Celman resignation, but shortly after dissolved itself in two branches, the Radical...
, which was led by Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre Martínez was an Argentine statesman, military figure, and author. He was the President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.-Life and times:...
and Leandro Alem
Leandro Alem
Leandro Nicéforo Alem was an Argentine politician, born in Buenos Aires, a founder and leader of the Radical Civic Union. Alem was the uncle and political teacher of Hipólito Yrigoyen. His father, was the chief of Rosas' political police, the Mazorca. He was executed after the battle of Caseros...
The party unsuccessfully led an attempt to force the early departure of President Miguel Juárez Celman in the Revolution of the Park
Revolution of the Park
The Revolution of the Park was an uprising against the national government of Argentina that took place on 26 July 1890 and started with the takeover of the Buenos Aires Artillery Park. It was led by members of the Civic Union against the presidency of Miguel Juárez Celman...
(Revolución del Parque). Eventually a compromise was reached with Juárez Celman's government. Hard-liners who opposed this agreement founded the current UCR, led by Alem's nephew, the young and charismatic Hipólito Yrigoyen
Hipólito Yrigoyen
Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
. In 1893 and 1905
Argentine Revolution of 1905
The Argentine Revolution of 1905 also known as the Radical Revolution of 1905 was a civil-military uprising organized by the Radical Civic Union and headed by Hipólito Yrigoyen against the oligarchic dominance known as the Roquismo led by Julio Argentino Roca and his National Autonomist...
the party led unsuccessful revolutions to overthrow the government. With the introduction of free, fair and confidential voting in elections based on universal adult male suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
in 1912 the Party managed to win the general elections of 1916, when Hipólito Yrigoyen became president. The Radical Civic Union remained in power during the next 14 years: Yrigoyen was succeeded by Marcelo T. de Alvear in 1922 and by himself in 1928. The first coup in Argentina's modern history occurred on September 6, 1930 and ousted an aging Yrigoyen amid an economic crisis resulting from the United States' Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
From 1930 to 1958 the Radical Civic Union was confined to be the main opposition party, either to the Conservatives and the military during the 1930s and the early 1940s or to the Peronism during the late 1940s - early 1950s. It was only in 1958 when a faction of the party allied with banned peronists (the so called Intransigent Radical Civic Union) came back to power, led by Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ercoli was the President of Argentina between May 1, 1958, and March 29, 1962, for the Intransigent Radical Civic Union.-Early life:Frondizi was born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes Province...
. The growing tolerance of Frondizi towards his peronist allies provoked unrest in the army, which ousted the president in March 1962. After a brief military government, presidential elections took place in 1963 with the Peronist Party banned (as in 1958). The outcome of the elections saw the candidate of the People's Radical Civic Union (the other party's faction) Arturo Illia coming in the first place but with only 25% of the votes (approximately 19% of the votes were blank due to the peronism's banning). Although Argentina experienced during Illia's presidency one of the most successful periods of history in terms of the economic performance, the president was ousted by the army in June 1966. Illia's peaceful and ordered style of governing - sometimes considered too "slow" and "boring" - was being heavily criticized at the time.
During the 1970s Peronist government (1973–1976), the Radical Civic Union was the second most voted party, but this didn't actually grant the party the role of being the political opposition. In fact, the Peronist government's most important criticisms came from the same Peronist Party (now called 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...
). The UCR's leader in those times, 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....
, saluted Peron's coffin (Perón had died on July 1, 1974, during his third mandate as president) with the famous sentence "This old adversary salutes a great friend", thus marking the end of the peronist-radical rivalry that had marked the pace of the Argentine political scene until then. The growing fight between left-wing and right-wing Peronists took the country into chaos and many UCR members were targeted by both factions. The subsequent coup in 1976 ended the Peronist experience and "disappeared" many members of the UCR party as well.
Between 1983 and 1989 its leader, Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín, was the first democratically elected 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...
after the military dictatorship headed by generals such as Jorge Videla, Leopoldo Galtieri
Leopoldo Galtieri
Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri Castelli was an Argentine general and President of Argentina from December 22, 1981 to June 18, 1982, during the last military dictatorship . The death squad Intelligence Battalion 601 directly reported to him...
and Reynaldo Bignone
Reynaldo Bignone
Reynaldo Benito Antonio Bignone is an Argentine general who served as dictatorial President of Argentina from July 1, 1982 to December 10, 1983. In 2010, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in the kidnappings, torture, and murders of the Dirty War.-Early career:Reynaldo Benito...
. Alfonsín was succeeded by Carlos Saúl Menem of the Peronist 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).
In 1997 the UCR participated in elections in coalition with Front for a Country in Solidarity
Front for a Country in Solidarity
The Front for a Country in Solidarity was a political party in Argentina. It was formed in 1994 out of the Great Front , which had been founded mainly by progressive members of the Peronist Justicialist Party who denounced the policies and the alleged corruption of the Carlos Menem administration;...
(FREPASO), itself an alliance of many smaller parties. This strategy brought 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 ....
to the presidency in the 1999 elections. During major riots
December 2001 riots (Argentina)
The December 2001 uprising was a period of civil unrest and rioting in Argentina, which took place during December 2001, with the most violent incidents taking place on December 19 and December 20 in the capital, Buenos Aires, Rosario and other large cities around the country.- Background :The...
triggered by economic reforms implemented by the UCR government (with the advice of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
), President de la Rúa resigned and fled the country to prevent further turmoil. After three consecutive acting presidents assumed duties in the following weeks, Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
of the PJ took office until new elections could be held.
After the 2001 legislative elections it became the second largest party in the federal 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....
, winning 71 of 257 seats. It campaigned in an alliance with the smaller, more leftist FREPASO. The party has subsequently declined markedly and its candidate for President in 2003 gained just 2.34% of the vote, beaten by three Peronists and more seriously, by two former radicals, Ricardo López Murphy
Ricardo López Murphy
Ricardo Hipólito López Murphy is an Argentine economist and politician.-Career:López Murphy was born in Adrogué, Buenos Aires Province. He attended the National University of La Plata, where he was awarded the title of "Licenciado en Economía" in 1975...
of Recrear and Elisa Carrió
Elisa Carrió
Elisa María Avelina Carrió is an Argentine politician, founder of the party initially known as Alternative for a Republic of Equals , now Civic Coalition ARI ....
of ARI, who have leached members, support and profile from the UCR. In the 2005 legislative elections, the UCR was reduced to 35 deputies and 13 senators, but remains the second force in Argentine politics.
Current status
Ahead of the 2007 election, the remaining Radicals divided between those who wanted to find an internal candidate and those who wanted to back a candidate from another movement, mostly former Economy Minister Roberto LavagnaRoberto Lavagna
Roberto Lavagna is an Argentine economist and politician, and was the former Minister of Economy and Production of Argentina from April 27, 2002, to November 28, 2005.-Career:...
, supported by former president Raúl Alfonsín.
In May 2005, the National Committee of the UCR, then led by Ángel Rozas
Ángel Rozas
Ángel Rozas is an Argentine politician. He is a member of the Radical Civic Union and has been de facto leader of that party....
, intervened (suspended of authorities of) the Provincial Committee of the UCR in Tierra del Fuego Province after Radical governor Jorge Colazo
Jorge Colazo
Jorge Colazo, "El Potro", is an Argentine Radical Civic Union politician. He sits in the Argentine Senate representing Tierra del Fuego Province in the majority block of the Front for Victory and was formerly governor of that province.Colazo attended primary school in Córdoba before moving to...
spoke in favour of Kirchner's reelection. The intervention was rejected by the Provincial Committee.
A party convention held 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 ....
in August 2006 officially rejected the possibility of alliances with Kirchner's faction of Justicialism and granted former Party President Roberto Iglesias
Roberto Iglesias
Roberto Raúl Iglesias is an Argentine Radical Civic Union politician, a former leader of the party and formerly a deputy and governor of Mendoza Province....
the permission to negotiate with other political forces. This led to several months of talks with Lavagna.
The continued dissidence of the Radicales K
Radicales K
Radicales K were a faction within the Radical Civic Union , a political party in Argentina.President Néstor Kirchner was a Peronist but distrusted the Justicialist Party as a support for his government. He proposed instead a "transversalist" policy, seeking the support of progressive politicians...
prompted the intervention of the UCR Provincial Committee of Mendoza
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...
on 1 November 2006, due to the public support of President Kirchner by Mendoza's governor, the Radical Julio Cobos
Julio Cobos
Julio César Cleto Cobos is an Argentine politician, currently serving as the Vice President of Argentina alongside President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He started his political career as member of the Radical Civic Union , becoming Governor of Mendoza in 2003...
. The measure was short-lived, as the Mendoza Province Electoral Justice overturned it three days later.
Deputy and UCR National Committee Secretary General Margarita Stolbizer
Margarita Stolbizer
-Life and times:Margarita Stolbizer was born in the western Buenos Aires suburb of Morón, in 1955. She enrolled at the Universidad de Morón and graduated in 1978, after which she taught at her alma mater's law school for four years. An avid volleyball player, she created her city's first women's...
stated that the party is virtually "broken due to the stance of the leaders who support the alliance [with Kirchner]".
Roberto Iglesias eventually resigned the presidency of the party in November 2006 due to differences with Lavagna, having reached the conclusion that an alliance with him would be a mistake, and joined Stolbizer's camp, maintaining that the party should look for its own candidate (the so-called Radicales R). On 1 December 2006 the National Committee appointed Jujuy Province
Jujuy Province
Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. The only neighboring Argentine province is Salta to the east and south.-History:...
Senator Gerardo Morales
Gerardo Morales (Argentine politician)
Gerardo Rubén Morales is an Argentine politician, leader of the Radical Civic Union . He is a member of the Argentine Senate representing Jujuy Province, elected for the Front of Jujuy. He was a candidate for Vice President of Argentina on Roberto Lavagna's UNA ticket in the 2007...
as its new president. Morales stated that he wanted to follow the mandate of the Rosario convention (that is, looking for a possible alliance with Roberto Lavagna).
Morales went on to become Lavagna's running mate in the presidential election of October 2007
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...
, coming third. Although this campaign represented the mainstream of the national UCR leadership, substantial elements backed other candidates, notably the Radicales K. Cobos was elected Vice President as the running mate of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner through the Plural Consensus
Plural Consensus
Plural Consensus is an Kirchnerist electoral alliance in Argentina acting as a political bloc in the Argentine Senate and elsewhere.The coalition is largely made up of members of the Radical Civic Union, a group of smaller parties and dissident Socialist Party members who support the governing...
alliance, and several Radicals were elected to Congress as part of the Kirchners' 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...
faction. The official UCR ranks in Congress were reduced to 30 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....
and 10 in 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 recent years the UCR has been riven by an internal dispute between those who support left-wing policies of Peronist President 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 her husband and predecessor 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 ...
. However, most Radicales K support for the Kirchners ended by mid 2008, when Vice President Julio Cobos
Julio Cobos
Julio César Cleto Cobos is an Argentine politician, currently serving as the Vice President of Argentina alongside President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He started his political career as member of the Radical Civic Union , becoming Governor of Mendoza in 2003...
opposed the Government bill on agricultural export taxes
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...
. He later rejoined UCR, becoming a prominent figure in the opposition, despite being still the Vice President.
The UCR joined the Civic and Social Agreement
Civic and Social Agreement
The Social and Civic Agreement is an active congressional alliance in Argentina, integrated by the Radical Civic Union and the Socialist Party , which acted as an umbrella national electoral alliance at the last 2009 Argentine legislative elections...
to run for the June 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 loose coalition obtained 29% of the national votes and came a close second to the Front for Victory and allies
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...
national outcomes. The Party's reorganization, as well as the 2009 elections, resulted in a rebound of the party representatives 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....
. By May 2010, its ranks were 42 Deputies and 14 Senators, becoming the first minority party in both houses.
Provincial factions
The UCR has become fragmented politically and geographically. Besides the interventions in Tierra del Fuego and Mendoza, already in September 2006 the party leaders had admitted that they reviewing requests of intervention against the provincial committees of Río NegroRío Negro Province
Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.Its capital is Viedma...
and Santiago del Estero
Santiago del Estero Province
Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.-History:...
.
In Santa Fe
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...
, the UCR has teamed up with the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Argentina)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in Argentina. The history of socialism in Argentina began in the 1890s, when a group of people, notably Juan B. Justo, expressed the need for a greater social focus....
to support Socialist candidate for governor 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...
, in exchange for the vice-governorship, taken by the former governor Aldo Tessio
Aldo Tessio
Aldo Emilio Tessio was an Argentine politician belonging to the Radical Civic Union . He served a Governor of Santa Fe Province from October 12, 1963, to June 28, 1966....
's daughter, the fiscal federal Griselda Tessio
Griselda Tessio
Griselda Rosa de las Mercedes Tessio is the Vice-Governor of the Argentine province of Santa Fe since 11 December 2007...
, winning the 2007 elections.
Leaders of the UCR
The Party is headed by a National Committee; its President is the de facto leader of the party. A national convention brings together representatives of the provincial parties and affiliated organisations such as Franja Morada and Radical Youth, and is itself represented on the National Committee.Presidents of the National Committee:
- (1891–1896) Leandro N. Alem
- (1896–1897) Bernardo de IrigoyenBernardo de IrigoyenBernardo de Irigoyen was an Argentine lawyer, diplomat and politician.-Biography:Born in Buenos Aires, Irigoyen enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires and earned a juris doctor in 1843...
- (1897–1930) Hipólito YrigoyenHipólito YrigoyenJuan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Irigoyen Alem was twice President of Argentina . His activism became the prime impetus behind the obtainment of universal suffrage in Argentina in 1912...
- (1930–1942) Marcelo T. de Alvear
- (1942–1946) Gabriel Oddone
- (1946–1948) Eduardo Laurencena
- (1948–1949) Roberto J. Parry
- (1949–1954) Santiago H. del Castillo
- (1954–1957) Arturo FrondiziArturo FrondiziArturo Frondizi Ercoli was the President of Argentina between May 1, 1958, and March 29, 1962, for the Intransigent Radical Civic Union.-Early life:Frondizi was born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes Province...
- (1971–1981) Ricardo BalbínRicardo BalbínRicardo 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....
- (1981–1983) Carlos Raúl ContínCarlos Raúl ContínCarlos Raúl Contín was an Argentine politician and leader of the centrist Radical Civic Union .-Life and times:...
- (1983–1991) Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín
- (1991–1993) Mario Aníbal Losada
- (1993–1995) Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín
- (1995–1997) Rodolfo TerragnoRodolfo TerragnoRodolfo Terragno is an Argentine politician and lawyer, former Senator and journalist.-Life and times:Terragno was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1943 and obtained a Law Degree from the University of Buenos Aires in 1967, founding the law firm of Terragno & Associates. He married Sonia...
- (1997–1999) Fernando de la RúaFernando de la RúaFernando 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 ....
- (1999–2001) Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín
- (2001–2005) Ángel RozasÁngel RozasÁngel Rozas is an Argentine politician. He is a member of the Radical Civic Union and has been de facto leader of that party....
- (2005–2006) Roberto IglesiasRoberto IglesiasRoberto Raúl Iglesias is an Argentine Radical Civic Union politician, a former leader of the party and formerly a deputy and governor of Mendoza Province....
- (2006–2009) Gerardo MoralesGerardo Morales (Argentine politician)Gerardo Rubén Morales is an Argentine politician, leader of the Radical Civic Union . He is a member of the Argentine Senate representing Jujuy Province, elected for the Front of Jujuy. He was a candidate for Vice President of Argentina on Roberto Lavagna's UNA ticket in the 2007...
- (2009–2011) Ernesto SanzErnesto SanzErnesto Sanz , is an Argentine Radical Civic Union politician. He serves in the Argentine Senate representing Mendoza Province....
- (2011) Ángel RozasÁngel RozasÁngel Rozas is an Argentine politician. He is a member of the Radical Civic Union and has been de facto leader of that party....
- (2011-present) Ernesto SanzErnesto SanzErnesto Sanz , is an Argentine Radical Civic Union politician. He serves in the Argentine Senate representing Mendoza Province....