Ricardo Balbín
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Balbín was an Argentine
lawyer and politician, and one of the most important figures of the centrist Radical Civic Union
(UCR), for which he was the presidential nominee four times: in 1951, 1958, and twice in 1973.
, in 1904. The family moved first to Azul
, and later to Ayacucho
when he was still a child. In 1909 his mother had to be moved to Spain
to treat a serious illness.
In 1916, when Hipólito Yrigoyen
became president, Balbín started high school at the Colegio San José. In 1921 he started his university studies in medicine, but abandoned it shortly after due to financial difficulties. In 1922 at just 18 years old, Balbín joined the ruling Radical Civic Union
(UCR), and moved to La Plata
, where the student atmosphere gave him the incentive to enroll in the National University of La Plata Law School, obtaining a juris doctor
in 1927.
In 1928 he married Indalia Ponzetti, with whom he would have a daughter and two sons: Lía Elena, Osvaldo and Enrique Balbín. The year he married was also one of active political participation for Balbín, who worked on the presidential campaign
that returned Hipólito Yrigoyen to the presidency. During Yrigoyen's second term, Balbín was named District Attorney
during the federal intervention in Mendoza Province
.
Short afterward Balbín returned to La Plata and was elected president of La Plata's Sección Primera Committee in 1930, the year in which José Félix Uriburu
's coup d'etat
toppled Yrigoyen. In 1931 the military government called elections, and Balbín was elected congressman for Buenos Aires Province
, and Honorio Pueyrredón
governor of the province. The victory of the Unión Cívica Radical was not expected by the military government, who invalidated the results.
In 1940 Balbín was again elected deputy for the province, but he resigned his seat in protest at fraud during those elections. In 1945 he participated in the foundation of the Movimiento de Intransigencia y Renovación (MIR) together with, among others, Amadeo Sabattini
, Arturo Frondizi
, Crisólogo Larralde, Oscar Alende
, Moisés Lebensohn and Arturo Illia
.
In 1946 Balbín was elected national deputy and he became chief deputy of the so-called "Block of the 44" (Bloque de los 44). His role as one of the opposition leaders to Juan Domingo Perón's government brought him political and judicial prosecution. He was expelled from congress in 1949, and imprisoned at the Olmos Penal facility in La Plata
. In 1950 he was released, but sent back to jail the very same day of the election for which he was candidate for governor of the province. At the end of that year Perón granted him a pardon, but Balbín refused to accept it since he had not yet been sentenced.
Once freed, Balbín was nominated presidential candidate for the 1951 national elections
with Arturo Frondizi as candidate for vice-president. Perón was re-elected in a landslide, however, and Balbín was again imprisoned in 1954. A 1955 coup d'état
known as the Revolución Libertadora
forced Perón into exile and banned Peronism
. The UCR divided into two groups following its 1956 convention: the Intransigent Radical Civic Union
(UCRI) with Arturo Frondizi
and Oscar Alende
as the main exponents, and Balbín's Popular UCR (UCRP). The UCRP chose Balbín as presidential candidate for the 1958 elections
, with Santiago del Castillo for vice-president. Arturo Frondizi won with support from factions of the outlawed Peronists.
In 1959 the UCRP chose Arturo Illia as its next presidential candidate, who won the 1963 elections
with Carlos Perette as vice-president. Illia only governed until 1966, however, when General Juan Carlos Onganía
's coup removed him from the presidency. During that period Balbín, together with sections of several political parties, called for the 'return to legality' in a document entitled Without a political solution there can be no economic solution (Sin solución política es impensible una solución económica).
Following President Alejandro Lanusse's call in 1972 for free elections, Balbín was again nominated presidential candidate for the UCR over Raúl Alfonsín
, with Eduardo Gamond as his running mate. At the end of that year Perón returned from exile and met Balbín, promising to resolve historical differences to preserve the popular movement. On March 11, 1973
, Peronism once again defeated Balbín, as Héctor Cámpora was elected president with Vicente Solano Lima
as vice-president.
At the end of 1973, following the definitive return of Perón to Argentina, the governing body resigned and new, snap elections
were called. Balbín was a presidential candidate for a fourth and last time, with Fernando de la Rúa
as his vice-presidential candidate. Perón triumphed with his wife María Estela Martínez
as vice-president.
Perón died on July 1, 1974, and Balbín dedicated a warm eulogy to him. He remained focused on avoiding yet another military coup throughout Mrs. Perón's chaotic presidency, but on March 24, 1976, she was removed from office, bringing about the military government known as the National Reorganization Process. During this dictatorship, Balbín was criticised for not denouncing the human rights
violations (see: Dirty War
) that were taking place. Upon his death in La Plata in September 1981, and even though political demonstrations were illegal, a crowd gathered at his funeral to give him a last farewell. A monument in his honor was unveiled near Congress in 1999 and National Route 1
was named after him in 2004; the expressway connects Buenos Aires with his adopted city, La Plata.
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...
lawyer and politician, and one of the most important figures of the centrist 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), for which he was the presidential nominee four times: in 1951, 1958, and twice in 1973.
Life and times
Ricardo Balbín was born to Encarnación Morales Balbín and Cipriano Balbín in the city of Buenos AiresBuenos 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 1904. The family moved first to Azul
Azul, Buenos Aires
Azul is the head city of the Azul Partido, located at the center of the Buenos Aires Province in Argentina, 300 km south of Buenos Aires. It has 63,000 inhabitants as per the ....
, and later to Ayacucho
Ayacucho, Buenos Aires
Ayacucho is a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Ayacucho Partido.-Name:The town is named after the Battle of Ayacucho which took place on December 9, 1824. The settlement was founded on June 22, 1866 by Zoilo Miguens....
when he was still a child. In 1909 his mother had to be moved to Spain
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...
to treat a serious illness.
In 1916, when 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...
became president, Balbín started high school at the Colegio San José. In 1921 he started his university studies in medicine, but abandoned it shortly after due to financial difficulties. In 1922 at just 18 years old, Balbín joined the ruling 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), and moved to La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
, where the student atmosphere gave him the incentive to enroll in the National University of La Plata Law School, obtaining a juris doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1927.
In 1928 he married Indalia Ponzetti, with whom he would have a daughter and two sons: Lía Elena, Osvaldo and Enrique Balbín. The year he married was also one of active political participation for Balbín, who worked on the presidential campaign
Argentine presidential election, 1928
The Argentine general election of 1928 was held on 1 April. With a turnout of 80.9%, it produced the following official results:-President: a) Parties nominating the Leopoldo Melo-Vicente Gallo ticket...
that returned Hipólito Yrigoyen to the presidency. During Yrigoyen's second term, Balbín was named District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
during the federal intervention 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...
.
Short afterward Balbín returned to La Plata and was elected president of La Plata's Sección Primera Committee in 1930, the year in which José Félix Uriburu
José Félix Uriburu
General José Félix Benito Uriburu y Uriburu was the first de facto President of Argentina, achieved through a military coup, from September 6, 1930 to February 20, 1932.-Biography:...
's coup d'etat
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...
toppled Yrigoyen. In 1931 the military government called elections, and Balbín was elected congressman for 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 Honorio Pueyrredón
Honorio Pueyrredón
Honorio Pueyrredón was an Argentine lawyer, university professor, diplomat and politician.Born in San Pedro, Buenos Aires, Pueyrredón graduated at the Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires in 1896, were he would also later teach.Originally affiliated to the National Civic Union, he...
governor of the province. The victory of the Unión Cívica Radical was not expected by the military government, who invalidated the results.
In 1940 Balbín was again elected deputy for the province, but he resigned his seat in protest at fraud during those elections. In 1945 he participated in the foundation of the Movimiento de Intransigencia y Renovación (MIR) together with, among others, Amadeo Sabattini
Amadeo Sabattini
Amadeo Tomás Sabattini was an Argentine politician. He served as Governor of Córdoba from May 17, 1936, to May 17, 1940....
, 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...
, Crisólogo Larralde, Oscar Alende
Oscar Alende
Oscar Eduardo Alende was an Argentine politician who founded the Intransigent Party.Alende was born in Maipú, Buenos Aires Province. He studied medicine at the University of La Plata, where he led the student union, and completed his medical studies at the University of Buenos Aires in 1933...
, Moisés Lebensohn and Arturo Illia
Arturo Umberto Illia
Arturo Umberto Illia was President of Argentina from October 12, 1963, to June 28, 1966, and a member of the centrist UCR.-Biography:Arturo Umberto Illia was born August 4, 1900 in Pergamino, Buenos Aires Province, to Emma Francesconi and Martín Illia, Italian Argentine immigrants from the...
.
La Plata Partido
La Plata is a partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, located some 60 kilometers south-east of the city of Buenos Aires.It has an area of , and a population of 574,369 . Its capital is La Plata, which also serves as the capital of the province...
. In 1950 he was released, but sent back to jail the very same day of the election for which he was candidate for governor of the province. At the end of that year Perón granted him a pardon, but Balbín refused to accept it since he had not yet been sentenced.
Once freed, Balbín was nominated presidential candidate for the 1951 national elections
Argentine general election, 1951
The Argentine general election of 1951, the first to have enfranchised women at the national level, was held on 11 November. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 88.0%, it produced the following results:-President:...
with Arturo Frondizi as candidate for vice-president. Perón was re-elected in a landslide, however, and Balbín was again imprisoned in 1954. A 1955 coup 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...
known as the Revolución Libertadora
Revolución Libertadora
The Revolución Libertadora was a military uprising that ended the second presidential term of Juan Perón in Argentina, on September 16, 1955.-History:...
forced Perón into exile and banned 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...
. The UCR divided into two groups following its 1956 convention: the Intransigent Radical Civic Union
Intransigent Radical Civic Union
The Intransigent Radical Civic Union or UCRI is a defunct political party of Argentina.The UCRI developed from the centrist Radical Civic Union in 1956, following a split at the party's convention in Tucumán...
(UCRI) with 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...
and Oscar Alende
Oscar Alende
Oscar Eduardo Alende was an Argentine politician who founded the Intransigent Party.Alende was born in Maipú, Buenos Aires Province. He studied medicine at the University of La Plata, where he led the student union, and completed his medical studies at the University of Buenos Aires in 1933...
as the main exponents, and Balbín's Popular UCR (UCRP). The UCRP chose Balbín as presidential candidate for the 1958 elections
Argentine general election, 1958
The Argentine general election of 1958 was held on 23 February. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 90.9% , it produced the following results:-President:aAbstentions....
, with Santiago del Castillo for vice-president. Arturo Frondizi won with support from factions of the outlawed Peronists.
In 1959 the UCRP chose Arturo Illia as its next presidential candidate, who won the 1963 elections
Argentine general election, 1963
The Argentine general election of 1963 was held on 7 July. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 85.6%, it produced the following results:-President:aAbstentions.-Argentine Chamber of Deputies:...
with Carlos Perette as vice-president. Illia only governed until 1966, however, when General Juan Carlos Onganía
Juan Carlos Onganía
Juan Carlos Onganía Carballo was de facto president of Argentina from 29 June 1966 to 8 June 1970. He rose to power as military dictator after toppling, in a coup d’état self-named Revolución Argentina , the democratically elected president Arturo Illia .-Economic and social...
's coup removed him from the presidency. During that period Balbín, together with sections of several political parties, called for the 'return to legality' in a document entitled Without a political solution there can be no economic solution (Sin solución política es impensible una solución económica).
Following President Alejandro Lanusse's call in 1972 for free elections, Balbín was again nominated presidential candidate for the UCR over 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...
, with Eduardo Gamond as his running mate. At the end of that year Perón returned from exile and met Balbín, promising to resolve historical differences to preserve the popular movement. On March 11, 1973
Argentine general election, March 1973
The first Argentine general election of 1973 was held on 11 March. Voters chose both the President and their legislators and with a turnout of 85.5%, it produced the following results:-President:...
, Peronism once again defeated Balbín, as Héctor Cámpora was elected president with Vicente Solano Lima
Vicente Solano Lima
Vicente Solano Lima was a moderately conservative newspaper publisher and politician who served as Vice President of Argentina from May 25, 1973 to July 13, 1973.-Life and times:...
as vice-president.
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:...
were called. Balbín was a presidential candidate for a fourth and last time, with 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 ....
as his vice-presidential candidate. Perón triumphed with his wife María Estela Martínez
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...
as vice-president.
Perón died on July 1, 1974, and Balbín dedicated a warm eulogy to him. He remained focused on avoiding yet another military coup throughout Mrs. Perón's chaotic presidency, but on March 24, 1976, she was removed from office, bringing about the military government known as the National Reorganization Process. During this dictatorship, Balbín was criticised for not denouncing the 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...
violations (see: Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
) that were taking place. Upon his death in La Plata in September 1981, and even though political demonstrations were illegal, a crowd gathered at his funeral to give him a last farewell. A monument in his honor was unveiled near Congress in 1999 and National Route 1
National Route 1 (Argentina)
National Route 1, also known as Buenos Aires - La Plata Highway and officially called Autopista Doctor Ricardo Balbín since 2004, connects the Autopista 25 de Mayo in Buenos Aires with Provincial Route 11, near the city of La Plata...
was named after him in 2004; the expressway connects Buenos Aires with his adopted city, La Plata.