Gerardo Morales (politician)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Gerardo Rubén Morales (born 18 July 1959) is an Argentine politician,
Governor of Jujuy Province The Governor of Jujuy ( es, Gobernador de la Provincia de Jujuy) is a citizen of Jujuy Province, in Argentina, holding the office of governor for the corresponding period. The governor is elected alongside a vice-governor. Currently the governor of ...
and Secretary General of the Radical Civic Union. He was a member of the Argentine Senate representing
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. Geography There are three main areas in Jujuy: ...
, elected for the Front of Jujuy. He was a candidate for
Vice President of Argentina The vice president of Argentina ( es, Vicepresidente de Argentina), officially known as the vice president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Vicepresidente de la Nación Argentina), is the second highest political position in Argentina, and first in ...
on
Roberto Lavagna Roberto Lavagna (born 24 March 1942) is an Argentine economist and politician who was Minister of Economy and Production from April 27, 2002 until November 28, 2005. Despite the fact that he only garnered 6% of the votes in 2019 presidential e ...
's UNA ticket in the
2007 elections The following elections occurred in the year 2007. * Electoral calendar 2007 * Elections in 2007 * 2007 United Nations Security Council election Africa * 52nd National Conference of the African National Congress * 2007 Algerian legislative el ...
. Since 2015, he has been Governor of Jujuy, the first non- Peronist elected to the post since the restoration of
democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which people, the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choo ...
.


Biography

Morales was born in
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. Geography There are three main areas in Jujuy: ...
. He worked on the
Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano The General Manuel Belgrano Railway (FCGMB) (Spanish: Ferrocarril General Manuel Belgrano), named after the Argentines, Argentine politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano, is a railway and the longest of the Rail transport in Argentina, A ...
railway as a waiter at age 18, and was promoted to the post of administrator. He enrolled at the
National University of Jujuy The National University of Jujuy ( es, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, UNJU) is an Argentine national university, situated in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy, capital of Jujuy Province. Its precursor, the Instituto Superior de Ciencias Económic ...
, where he earned a degree in
Accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "langua ...
. Morales was later appointed Director of Liquidations at the Provincial Insurance Institute. He also lectured and was politically active at university, teaching in
Political Economy Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...
courses from 1985 to 1993. He married in 1985, and had three children; he admitted to past infidelities in a 2008 interview. In 1989 Morales was elected as a provincial deputy and in 1993 became leader of the UCR block in the legislature. He served as president of the Finance Committee in 1991 and 1992. He was nominated for Vice Governor of Jujuy in a defeated 1991 UCR ticket, and with the support of party leader
Raúl Alfonsín Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...
, ran for Governor of Jujuy in 1995 and 1999, albeit unsuccessfully. He stepped down as a Jujuy Congressman in 2000 to join the national government of President
Fernando de la Rúa Fernando de la Rúa (15 September 19379 July 2019) was an Argentine politician and a member of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) political party who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1999 to 21 December 2001. De la Rúa was born in ...
as Secretary for Social Development. Morales was elected to the Argentine Senate in 2001 mid-term elections. After the election of
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 ...
as President of Argentina in 2003, many leading Radicals publicly supported Kirchner's populist left-wing agenda. The group, known as ''Radicales K'', included provincial governors and national legislators. The national president of the Radicals,
Roberto Iglesias Roberto Raúl Iglesias (born 25 February 1951) is an Argentine Radical Civic Union (UCR) politician, a former leader of the party and formerly a deputy and governor of Mendoza Province. Iglesias was born in Mendoza, Argentina, and enrolled at ...
took a hard-line approach against Kirchner, however, opposing efforts to re-align UCR elected officials toward the popular Kirchner. Morales, who supported Iglesias' policy, was re-elected to the Senate in 2005. Iglesias led negotiations to find a suitable candidate for the UCR to back in the 2007 Presidential elections against Kirchner's wife and FpV nominee,
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and politician who has served as the Vice President of Argentina since 2019. She also served as the President o ...
.
Roberto Lavagna Roberto Lavagna (born 24 March 1942) is an Argentine economist and politician who was Minister of Economy and Production from April 27, 2002 until November 28, 2005. Despite the fact that he only garnered 6% of the votes in 2019 presidential e ...
, a former minister under Kirchner who subsequently opposed his policies, appeared to be the favored candidate for the majority of the party. Iglesias resigned the presidency of the party in November 2006, however, due to differences with Lavagna, having reached the conclusion that an alliance with him would be a mistake, and joined those who maintained that the party should look for its own candidate (the so-called ''Radicales R''). The UCR National Committee appointed Morales as its new president in December 2006. Morales supported the party's Rosario convention, in which Alfonsín's call for an alliance with Lavagna was adopted into the party platform. He became Lavagna's running mate in the presidential election of October 2007, on a centrist electoral front known as "An Advanced Nation" ('UNA'), and placed third. Morales entered subsequently into a heated political dispute with
Milagro Sala Milagro Amalia Ángela Sala (born January 27, 1964) is a leader of the Tupac Amaru neighborhood association,''We M ...
, the leader of the
Indigenist Indigenism can refer to several different ideologies that seek to promote the interests of indigenous peoples. The term is used differently by various scholars and activists, and can be used purely descriptively or carry political connotations. D ...
Tupac Amaru Neighborhood Association. He was attacked in 2009, though without injury, by two youths tied to the association, and filed charges against their leader. Sala, who denied involvement, alleged that the accusations were politically and racially motivated. She responded with demands that Morales' estate be investigated, and each exchanged accusations of corruption. Morales was elected leader of the UCR Caucus in the Senate in December 2009; he succeeded
Ernesto Sanz Ernesto Sanz (born 9 December 1956) is a former Argentine politician of the Radical Civic Union and one of the founders of Cambiemos. He served in the Argentine Senate representing Mendoza Province from 2003 to 2015. Early life and education ...
, who replaced Morales as President of the party's National Committee.


Governor of Jujuy

Morales was elected governor in 2015. Expecting protests from Milagro Sala, he requested policial reinforcements to the national government, to prevent riots during the end of the year. 43 gendarmeries were sent to Jujuy, but died in a car accident at
Rosario de la Frontera Rosario de la Frontera is a city in the center-south of the province of Salta, Argentina. It has 26,174 inhabitants as per the , and is the head town of the Rosario de la Frontera Department. It is located on National Route 9, by the Horcones R ...
, in unclear circumstances. The ''Tupac Amaru'' organization denied the existence of violence in the province, and started a permanent demonstration at the Jujuy plaza. Morales accused the organizations that compose the ''Tupac Amaru'' of keeping the social welfare money for themselves, and distributing it only to their political supporters. To reduce their influence, he arranged that those payments should be done through bank accounts and not with cash, to keep track of the money. After a month, he urged the organizations to accept the terms and leave the plaza, or he would revoke their legal authorizations. The ''Tupac Amaru'' was split by this, as most organizations accepted Morales' proposal, but Sala and a reduced faction rejected it. Milagro Sala was arrested a few days later, accused of calling to riots and civil disorder.


References


External links


Senate profileOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morales, Gerardo 1959 births Living people People from Jujuy Province Argentine people of Spanish descent Argentine accountants Members of the Argentine Senate for Jujuy Radical Civic Union politicians Governors of Jujuy Province