Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as President of Argentina from 1983 to 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than seven years of the military dictatorship known as National Reorganization Process, and is considered the father of modern democracy in Argentina. A radical and a social democrat, he was a member of Argentina's Radical Civic Union (UCR) party, serving as its leader at various times.
Born in Chascomús, Buenos Aires Province, Alfonsín's first steps in the UCR saw him joining the faction of historical UCR leader Ricardo Balbín after the party split into the more left-wing Intransigent Radical Civic Union (UCR-I), while the more moderate wing of Balbín and Alfonsín was named People's Radical Civic Union (UCR-P).note He was elected deputy in the legislature of the Buenos Aires province in 1958, during the presidency of Arturo Frondizi, and a national deputy during the presidency of Arturo Illia. He would become known for his activism, opposing both sides of the Dirty War, filing several times a writ of Habeas corpus requesting the freedom of victims of forced disappearances during the National Reorganization Process, denouncing the crimes of the military dictatorships of other countries, and opposing the actions of both sides in The Falklands War as well. He became the leader of the UCR after Balbín's death and was the Radical candidate for the presidency in the 1983 elections, which he won.
After becoming president, Alfonsín sent a bill to Congress to revoke the self-amnesty law established by the military, and established the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons to investigate the crimes committed by the military, which culminated in the Trial of the Juntas and the sentencing of the heads of the former regime. Discontent within the military led to the mutinies of the Carapintadas ("Painted faces"), eventually resulting in the Ley de Punto Final ("Full Stop Law", ordering the end of the investigation and prosecution of people accused of political violence during the dictatorship) and the Ley de Obediencia Debida ("Law of Due Obedience", which exempted subordinates from prosecution when they were Just Following Orders). He also had conflicts with the unions, which were controlled by the opposing Justicialist Party. He resolved the Beagle territory conflict
with Chile, and proposed the creation of the Contadora support group to mediate between the United States and Nicaragua during the Central American crisis. Despite his appraisal for his efforts on human rights (although the aforementioned two laws were criticized as appeasement towards the military junta), his last years were marked by his government's attempts at controlling inflation failing: He initiated the Austral plan (which changed the Argentine peso to the Austral) to improve the national economy, but that plan, as well as a later plan, the Spring plan, failed. The resulting hyperinflation and riots led to his party's defeat in the 1989 presidential elections, which was won by Peronist Carlos Menem.
Alfonsín continued as the leader of the UCR and opposed Menem's presidency. He initiated the Pact of Olivos with Menem in order to negotiate the terms for the 1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution, where Menem obtained an amendment allowing presidential re-election in exchange for moderating the powers of the presidency. Fernando de la Rúa led a faction of the UCR that opposed the pact, and eventually became president in 1999. Following de la Rúa's resignation during the December 2001 riots, Alfonsín's faction provided the support needed for the Peronist Eduardo Duhalde to be appointed president by the Congress. He died on 31 March 2009, at the age of 82.
Works featuring Raúl Alfonsín:
Music- He is one of the Argentine presidents mentioned in Bersuit Vergarabat's "La argentinidad al palo", in the line "Alfonsín y la casa esta en orden" ("Alfonsín and the house is in order").
