Ángel Eduardo Maza (born 18 December 1954) is an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

Justicialist Party The Justicialist Party ( es, Partido Justicialista, ; abbr. PJ) is a major political party in Argentina, and the largest branch within Peronism. Current president Alberto Fernández belongs to the Justicialist Party (and has, since 2021, served ...

(PJ) politician. He was the governor of La Rioja Province during several terms, until he was ousted by impeachment in 2007. His sister,

Ada Maza Ada Mercedes Maza (born September 17, 1958, in La Rioja) is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician. She sat in the Argentine Senate representing La Rioja Province in the majority block of the Front for Victory. Maza studied in La Rioja then ...

, is a national senator. Maza was educated at the

National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...

and graduated as a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

, later earning a doctorate. He worked in the geological and mining services of the

Government of Argentina The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. ...

and of La Rioja Province.

Political career

From 1985, Maza served as a minister in the provincial government of La Rioja under then governor

Carlos Menem Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. Ideologically, he identified as a Peronist and supported economically liberal policies. H ...

, continuing until 1992, when Menem, by now

President of Argentina The president of Argentina ( es, Presidente de Argentina), officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Presidente de la Nación Argentina), is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Ar ...

, appointed Maza as minister for mining, a position which he held until 1995. That year he was elected governor of his province, taking office on 9 December. He was re-elected in 1999 and 2003. Maza served as minister and collaborator of former President and La Rioja governor Carlos Menem, whose family dominated local politics. However Maza switched to support the

Front for Victory The Front for Victory ( es, Frente para la Victoria, FPV) was a centre-left Peronist electoral alliance in Argentina, and is formally a faction of the Justicialist Party. Former presidents Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner wer ...

faction of fellow

Peronist Peronism, also called justicialism,. The Justicialist Party is the main Peronist party in Argentina, it derives its name from the concept of social justice., name=, group= is an Argentine political movement based on the ideas and legacy of Ar ...

President

Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...

. In 2006, Maza won the primary elections to head the Justicialist Party of La Rioja, defeating the Menemist candidate. This was seen as a final defeat against Carlos Menem by Kirchner.

Impeachment

In mid-2006 a political conflict between Maza and his vice governor

Luis Beder Herrera Luis Beder Herrera (born 26 May 1951) is an Argentine Justicialist Party (PJ) politician. He was the governor of La Rioja Province from 2007 to 2015. Born in Campanas, La Rioja, Herrera graduated as a lawyer in 1976 from the National Univer ...

erupted, as the legislature, dominated by supporters of Herrera, heavily modified the budget, restricted certain powers of the governor, and admitted

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

accusations against Maza. Later, as Maza contradicted a previous agreement with Herrera regarding his willingness to step aside and forfeit re-election, the legislature amended the provincial constitution to forbid re-election. On 13 March 2007 the legislature suspended Maza while impeachment procedures were followed. The impeachment commission resolved to oust Maza on 12 April, charging him with not fulfilling his duties and illegally bypassing the legislative branch in the case of an expropriation operation in 2004.Clarín, 12 April 2007
Destituyeron al suspendido gobernador Ángel Maza
Beder Herrera assumed the governor's office ''

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...

'' and announced upcoming elections.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maza, Angel 1954 births Living people People from La Rioja Province, Argentina National University of Córdoba alumni Argentine geologists Governors of La Rioja Province, Argentina Justicialist Party politicians Government ministers of Argentina Impeached governors removed from office Impeached Argentinian officials