Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (Spanish pronunciation: [e̞ˈðwaɾðo̞ alˈβe̞ɾto̞ ˈðwalðe̞] born October 5, 1941) is a former president of Argentina.
Biography
Duhalde was born in Lomas de Zamora, in the Greater Buenos Aires. He graduated as a lawyer in 1970. In 1987 he became a member of the Argentine National Congress and became vice-president under Carlos Menem from 1989 to his resignation in 1991. In 1991 he won the first of two terms as governor of Buenos Aires.
He ran for president in 1999, after a failed attempt by Carlos Menem to run for a third term, but he was defeated by Fernando de la Rúa. Duhalde came in second place with 37% of the vote. After de la Rúa's resignation, due to the economic crisis and the December 2001 riots, Duhalde was appointed President of Argentina by the Legislative Assembly on January 2, 2002 during an unclear series of events that some people deemed as a conspiracy .
Depositors protest the freezing of their accounts, February 2002. Pres. Duhalde had the freeze lifted in December.Initially to serve for a few months, until the chaotic situation of the country could be controlled, Duhalde stayed in office during more than one year. During this time, he confirmed the default of most of the Argentine public debt, and ended peg of the Argentine peso to the U.S. dollar, which triggered inflation, massive discontent and left more than a half of the country in poverty. Furthemore he took notoriety because of his said that those people who deposited dollars would receive dollars, before the "forced pesification" of the dollar deposits at an exchange rate of 1.40 pesos. Duhalde managed to stabilize the turmoil and, under some political pressure, called for elections six months ahead of schedule.
Duhalde was succeeded by Néstor Kirchner on May 25, 2003. Duhalde's political and logistical support for Kirchner and against Carlos Menem was seen by many as an attempt of Duhalde to continue ruling as "the power behind the throne". After a while, however, Kirchner became increasingly distanced from Duhalde. Duhalde's wife, Hilda Chiche Duhalde, ran a heated campaign for the National Senate representing Buenos Aires, against Kirchner's wife, Cristina Kirchner, for the October 23, 2005 legislative elections. González was decisively defeated, which according to many political analysts marked the end of the Duhaldes' dominance over the province.
Duhalde confirmed on December 23, 2009 his intention to run again for the Presidency. Stating that former President Nestor Kirchner has now become addicted to power[1], he will face whichever candidate backed by current President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her husband in a primary within the Justicialista Party.
References
External links
- (Spanish) Extended bio by CIDOB Foundation
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Víctor Martínez | Vice President of Argentina 1989 - 1991 | Succeeded by Carlos Ruckauf |
| Preceded by Antonio Cafiero | Governor of Buenos Aires 1991 – 1999 | |
| Preceded by Adolfo Rodríguez Saá | President of Argentina 2002 – 2003 | Succeeded by Néstor Kirchner |
Categories: 1941 births | Living people | Presidents of Argentina | Vice-Presidents of Argentina | Governors of Buenos Aires province | Argentine senators | Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies | Justicialist Party politicians | Argentine lawyers | People from Lomas de Zamora | University of Buenos Aires alumni | 21st-century national presidents in South America
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Dr. Federico Carlos Scharn y Vidal
Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:34:00 GM
Comunicado de afyappa nro 04/09. Acto de Repudio a Luis Eduardo Duhalde en la Secretaria de Derechos Humanos. El dia martes 21 de abril a las 10:30 horas, un grupo de ciudadanos se congrego al frente a la Secretaria de Derechos Humanos ...
