Fernando de la Rúa (15 September 19379 July 2019) served as the
President of Argentina
The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...
from 1999 until his resignation in 2001. A member of the
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union (, UCR) is a major political party in Argentina. It has reached the national government on ten occasions, making it one of the most historically important parties in the country. Ideologically, the party has stood for r ...
, he previously served as national senator for Buenos Aires across non-consecutive terms from 1973 to 1996, national deputy for Buenos Aires from 1991 to 1992, the first
Chief of Government of Buenos Aires
This is a list of mayors and chiefs of government of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, since its federalization.
Its first Mayor (, Intendant) was Torcuato de Alvear, who was appointed by President Julio Argentino Roca followin ...
between 1996 and 1999, and President of the National Committee of the Radical Civic Union from 1997 to 1999.
De la Rúa was born in
Córdoba, and entered politics after graduating with a degree in law. He was elected senator in 1973 and unsuccessfully ran for the office of Vice President as
Ricardo Balbín's
running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...
the same year. He was re-elected senator in 1983 and 1993, and as deputy in 1991. He unsuccessfully opposed the
pact of Olivos
The Olivos Pact () refers to a series of documents signed on 17 November 1993, between the governing President of Argentina, Carlos Menem, and former President and leader of the opposition UCR, Raúl Alfonsín, that formed the basis of the consti ...
between President
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) served as the 50th president of Argentina for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He identified as Peronism, Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years (from 1990 to 200 ...
and 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 the 7-yea ...
, which enabled the
1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution
The 1994 amendment to the Constitution of Argentina was approved on 22 August 1994 by a Constitutional Assembly that met in the twin cities of Santa Fe, Argentina, Santa Fe and Paraná, Argentina, Paraná. The calling for elections for the Constit ...
and the re-election of Menem in 1995. He later became the first
chief of government of Buenos Aires
This is a list of mayors and chiefs of government of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, since its federalization.
Its first Mayor (, Intendant) was Torcuato de Alvear, who was appointed by President Julio Argentino Roca followin ...
to be elected by popular vote, a change introduced by the amendment of the Constitution. He expanded the
Buenos Aires Underground
The Buenos Aires Underground (), locally known as Subte (), is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first section of this network (Plaza de Mayo–Plaza Miserere) opened in 1913, making it the L ...
, adding new stations to Line D, starting the expansion of Line B, and establishing Line H. He established Roberto Goyeneche Avenue and the city's first bicycle path.
De la Rúa was elected President in the
1999 general election, after running on the
Alliance
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...
ticket, a political coalition of the UCR and the
Frepaso. He was opposed by the
Peronist
Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, Pe ...
unions and his Vice President
Carlos Álvarez resigned after denouncing bribes in the Senate. The
economic crisis
A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and ma ...
that began during Menem's administration worsened and by the end of 2001 led to a
banking panic. The government established the ''
Corralito'' to limit bank withdrawals. De la Rúa called a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
during the
December 2001 riots. Following his resignation on 20 December, the Argentine Congress appointed a new president. After leaving office, De la Rúa retired from politics and faced legal proceedings for much of the remainder of his life until his death in 2019.
Early life
Fernando de la Rúa was the son of Eleonora Bruno and Antonio De la Rúa; he was born in the city of
Córdoba and attended the local Military Lyceum before entering the
National University of Córdoba
The National University of Córdoba (), is a public university located in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of the Americas, with the first university being ...
, from which he graduated with a law degree at the age of 21. He married a
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
socialite,
Inés Pertiné, in 1970; they had three children, including
Antonio de la Rúa
Antonio de la Rúa Pertiné (born 7 March 1974) is an Argentine lawyer, and the son of former president Fernando de la Rúa (who governed Argentina from 1999 to 2001) and Inés Pertiné. He was an advisor to his father during his father's presi ...
. De la Rúa became involved in politics at a young age; he entered public service in 1963 as an advisor to President
Arturo Illia's minister
Juan Palmero.

He was elected senator in the
March 1973 general elections, defeating the Peronist
Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo. He was the only politician from the
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union (, UCR) is a major political party in Argentina. It has reached the national government on ten occasions, making it one of the most historically important parties in the country. Ideologically, the party has stood for r ...
(UCR) who could defeat the Peronist candidate in his administrative division. The elected president
Héctor José Cámpora and his vice president resigned a few months later, leading to the call to new elections.
Ricardo Balbín ran for president in the
September general elections, with De la Rúa as his running mate for the post of vice president. The UCR was defeated by
Juan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón (, , ; 8 October 1895 – 1 July 1974) was an Argentine military officer and Statesman (politician), statesman who served as the History of Argentina (1946-1955), 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to Revolución Libertad ...
in a landslide. De la Rúa was removed from the Congress during the
1976 Argentine coup d'état
Events January
* January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. He left politics and worked as a lawyer for the firm
Bunge y Born.
The
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process ( PRN; often simply , "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. In Argentina it is often known simply as the ("last military junta"), ("last military dictatorship") ...
ended in 1983. De la Rúa intended to run for president but lost in the primary elections of the UCR to
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 the 7-yea ...
, who was elected in the general election.
De la Rúa ran for the post of senator instead, defeating the Peronist
Carlos Ruckauf. He ran for re-election as senator in 1989 but, despite his electoral victory, the
electoral college
An electoral college is a body whose task is to elect a candidate to a particular office. It is mostly used in the political context for a constitutional body that appoints the head of state or government, and sometimes the upper parliament ...
voted for the Peronist
Eduardo Vaca. De la Rúa was elected deputy in 1991 and returned to the senate in 1993. President
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) served as the 50th president of Argentina for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He identified as Peronism, Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years (from 1990 to 200 ...
, elected in 1989, wanted to amend the constitution to allow him to run for re-election in 1995, which was opposed by the UCR. Alfonsín signed the
Pact of Olivos
The Olivos Pact () refers to a series of documents signed on 17 November 1993, between the governing President of Argentina, Carlos Menem, and former President and leader of the opposition UCR, Raúl Alfonsín, that formed the basis of the consti ...
with Menem, negotiating terms to support the proposal. De la Rúa led the opposition to the pact within the UCR, but Alfonsín prevailed in the internal dispute. This damaged the relationship between the two leaders, but helped the party to retain a number of radicals who were against the pact.
[Reato, p. 73] De la Rúa could not prevent the
1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution
The 1994 amendment to the Constitution of Argentina was approved on 22 August 1994 by a Constitutional Assembly that met in the twin cities of Santa Fe, Argentina, Santa Fe and Paraná, Argentina, Paraná. The calling for elections for the Constit ...
. As a result, Menem was re-elected in 1995. The UCR finished third in the elections for the first time, being surpassed by the
Frepaso, a new party composed by former Peronists.
Mayor of Buenos Aires
The constitutional amendment gave autonomy to the city of Buenos Aires, allowing it to sanction local laws and elect
its own mayor, who was previously appointed by the president of the nation. In
1996
1996 was designated as:
* International Year for the Eradication of Poverty
Events January
* January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
, de la Rúa was the first mayor elected in this manner, defeating the previous mayor
Jorge Domínguez. During his term of office he created or reformulated several institutions to fit the new status of the city, as required by the national constitution and the recently approved
Constitution of Buenos Aires.
De la Rúa worked on the expansion of the
Buenos Aires Underground
The Buenos Aires Underground (), locally known as Subte (), is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first section of this network (Plaza de Mayo–Plaza Miserere) opened in 1913, making it the L ...
. The first stations of the extended
Line D,
Olleros and
José Hernández, were opened in 1997,
Juramento was opened in 1999, and
Congreso de Tucumán in 2000. He also started the works to extend the
Line B. Carlos Menem started to transfer the control and financing of the underground system to the city, but the 2001 economic crisis halted the process.
The former mayor Domínguez intended to expand the
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...
into
Saavedra, but the project met widespread opposition. De la Rúa reformulated the project and built an avenue instead of a highway, which was accepted. The avenue was named Roberto Goyeneche. He also restarted a project to build the
Cámpora Highway linking
Dellepiane Avenue with the
Riachuelo, and established the first non-recreational
bikeway in Buenos Aires at
Avenida del Libertador.
Presidential elections
The Pact of Olivos diminished the electoral strength of the UCR, leading to the rise of the
Frepaso. Both parties united in a political coalition, the
Alliance
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or sovereign state, states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an a ...
, which defeated the PJ in the 1997 midterm elections. It was the PJ's first national defeat since 1985. The parties held open primary elections for the 1999 presidential elections. De la Rúa stood for the UCR; the whole party, including Alfonsín, supported him. The Frepaso candidate was
Graciela Fernández Meijide, who had defeated Peronism in the populous Buenos Aires province. De la Rúa won the primary elections by a wide margin. In the primaries, De la Rúa was voted for by more people than those who voted for the UCR in 1995.
[Reato, p. 75] Despite his victory, Alfonsín was still the president of the UCR. They disagreed on the vice president for De la Rúa's ticket; he thought that it should be Meijide because she took part in the primary elections and came from a different district than him. Alfonsín preferred the popular
Carlos Álvarez, leader of the Frepaso, saying he could attract more voters and had more political expertise.
It was also a result of the internal politics of the Alliance: except for Meijide, the Frepaso did not have a political figure who could run with high prospects for winning the post of Governor of the
Buenos Aires province
Buenos Aires, officially the Buenos Aires Province, is the largest and most populous Provinces of Argentina, Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province an ...
. Had she run for vice president, Frepaso would have had to resign that candidacy to a radical candidate.
Carlos Menem dismissed De la Rúa as a "boring" candidate. De la Rúa exploited that description in television advertisements, embracing it and setting a comparison with the glitzy style of Menem and the perceived political corruption of his administration. He also compared himself with the Peronist candidate
Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (; born 5 October 1941) is an Argentina, Argentine former peronist politician who served as the interim President of Argentina from January 2002 to May 2003. He also served as Vice President of Argentina, Vice President ...
. He promised to solve the
economic crisis
A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and ma ...
with fiscal austerity and higher tax controls, hoping it would lower interest rates, bring more foreign investments, and reduce unemployment. He also promised to keep the
convertibility plan established by Menem that pegged the
Argentine peso one-to-one with the
United States dollar
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
.
The
1999 presidential election was held on 24 October. De la Rúa defeated Duhalde by 48.4% to 38.3%, well ahead of the threshold to avoid a
second round run-off election.
Domingo Cavallo
Domingo Felipe Cavallo (born July 21, 1946) is an Argentine economist and politician. Between 1991 and 1996, he was the Minister of Economy during Carlos Menem's presidency. He is known for implementing the convertibility plan, which establis ...
, Menem's former minister of economy, finished the race in third place. De la Rúa was inaugurated
President of Argentina
The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...
on 10 December 1999. He took office with a favorability rating of 75%. Unlike Menem, whose initial cabinet was composed of trusted friends, De la Rúa's cabinet included five people with international degrees and four economists.
Presidency
He was
President of Argentina
The president of Argentina, officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation, is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under Constitution of Argentina, the national constitution, the president is also the Head of go ...
from 10 December 1999 to 21 December 2001.
Domestic policy
In the first days of his presidency, De la Rúa sent a bill to the Congress to request a
federal intervention
Federal intervention () is a power attributed to the federal government of Argentina, by which it takes control of a province in certain extreme cases. Intervention is declared by the President with the assent of the National Congress. Article 6 ...
in the province of
Corrientes. The province had a high level of debt, and organizations of ''
piqueteros'' blocked roads to make demonstrations. There were two interim governors disputing power. The bill was immediately approved. The intervenor selected for the task was
Ramón Mestre
Ramón Bautista Mestre (August 21, 1937 – March 6, 2003), an Argentine politician, was Governor of Córdoba from July 12, 1995, to July 12, 1999. He also served as Federal Interventor of Corrientes Province (December 16, 1999, to March 20, 2 ...
.
The Peronist unions opposed De la Rúa and held seven general strikes against him. He sent a bill known as the
labour flexibility law to deregulate labor conditions, attempting to reduce the political influence of unions, to the Congress. This project was opposed by the PJ and was changed from the original draft. It was finally approved but Álvarez said several legislators were bribed to support the bill. Álvarez asked for the removal of the labor minister , but De la Rúa instead promoted him to be his personal secretary. Álvarez resigned the following day and the political scandal divided the coalition. Several deputies who initially supported De la Rúa switched to the opposition. Alfonsín tried to prevent a breakup of the UCR. Some months later, it was proposed that Álvarez return to the De la Rúa government as the
Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers
The chief of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Argentine Nation (; JGM), more commonly known simply as the Cabinet chief () is a Ministries of the Argentine Republic, ministerial office within the Government of Argentina, government of Argentina t ...
. Álvarez initially supported the idea but De la Rúa opposed it. Cavallo was also proposed for the office before he was appointed Minister of Economy. De la Rúa intended to include the Frepaso in the new cabinet but to exclude Álvarez himself because he still resented the latter's resignation. The negotiations failed and the new cabinet included no Frepaso politicians, but the Alliance was still working as a coalition in the Congress. It also included several radical politicians from Alfonsín's internal faction. The new Chief of Cabinet was
Chrystian Colombo, who mediated between Alfonsín and the president.
The PJ won the
2001 midterm election by 40% to 24%, giving it a majority in both chambers of the Congress. However, the
abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a Voting, vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrast ...
rate and several forms of
protest vote
A protest vote (also called a blank, null, spoiled, or "none of the above" vote) is a vote cast in an election to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the choice of candidates or the current political system. Protest voting takes a variety of forms ...
s combined reached 41%, the highest in Argentine history, as a consequence of the popular discontent with the two main parties. Even the few candidates of the Alliance who won at their districts, such as the radical
Rodolfo Terragno in Buenos Aires, did so with political platforms against De la Rúa's administration.
Foreign policy
The first year of De la Rúa's presidency coincided with the last year of
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
's presidency of the United States.
Ricardo López Murphy, Minister of Defense at the time, met
William Cohen, U.S. Secretary of Defense, in a summit of ministers that took place in Brazil in 2000. Both countries agreed to share classified information and to hold joint operations against terrorism.
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
took office as President of the United States in January 2001, and changed American policy towards countries in financial crises. His Treasury Secretary,
Paul H. O'Neill, a critic of financial aid, said, "We're working to find a way to create a sustainable Argentina, not just one that continues to consume the money of the plumbers and carpenters in the United States who make $50,000 a year and wonder what in the world we're doing with their money". The
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
occurred a few months later, and the U.S. focused its foreign policy on the
War on Terror against countries suspected of harboring terrorist organizations. As a result, the U.S. gave no further financial aid to Argentina. This policy was confirmed after an interview of Bush with the Brazilian president,
Fernando Henrique Cardoso
Fernando Henrique Cardoso (; born 18 June 1931), also known by his initials FHC (), is a Brazilian sociologist, professor, and politician who served as the 34th president of Brazil from 1 January 1995 to 1 January 2003. He was the first Brazi ...
, who confirmed Brazil would not be affected by the Argentine crisis.
Although Argentina maintained neutrality as for the conflict itself
in Afghanistan to topple the Taliban rule, defense minister
Horacio Jaunarena ordered the
Argentine Air Force
The Argentine Air Force (, or simply ''FAA'') is the air force of Argentina and one of three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. In 2018, it had 13,837 military and 6,900 civilian personnel. FAA commander in chief is Brigadie ...
to prepare to deploy to Afghanistan under UN humanitarian mission "after the war was over" with military personnel returning from
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
. The mission never materialized as the war extended in time beyond de la Rúa's term.
Economic policy
De la Rúa's first Minister of Economy was the progressive
José Luis Machinea, who was proposed by Alfonsín and Álvarez. Menem had left a deficit of 5
Gross Domestic Product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...
(GDP) points that Machinea tried to compensate with higher taxes to people with the highest incomes, and a reduction of the highest retirement pensions. The deficit was reduced but the crisis continued. The scandal over the labor law and the resignation of Álvarez increased the
country's risk, and made Argentina's access to international credit more difficult. The government negotiated a US$38 billion
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...
(IMF)
line of credit
A line of credit is a credit facility extended by a bank or other financial institution to a government, business or individual customer that enables the customer to draw on the facility when the customer needs funds. A financial institution ...
to prevent a default and allow the economy to grow again. Machinea also proposed appointing former minister Cavallo as the new President of the
Central Bank of Argentina
The Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (, BCRA) is the central bank of Argentina, being an autarchic entity.
Article 3 of the Organic Charter lists the objectives of this Institution: “The bank aims to promote, to the extent of its powers ...
. However, Machinea was unable to achieve the levels of austerity negotiated with the IMF and resigned a few days later. The Minister of Defense
Ricardo López Murphy became the new Minister of Economy. During the election camapain, De la Rúa had promised not to appoint him to that ministry, but with the ongoing crisis he did not want to risk problems caused by a temporary lack of minister. López Murphy announced a stricter austerity plan, with reduction to the health and education budgets. His plan was rejected by street demonstrations and the Frepaso, so De la Rúa declined it. Murphy resigned after being minister for 16 days.
De la Rúa appointed Cavallo, who had served under Menem and had established the convertibility plan. He was supported by the PJ, Carlos Álvarez, and the financial groups, but he was rejected by the rest of the UCR. The government announced it would retain the convertibility plan and that there would be no devaluation or
sovereign default
A sovereign default is the failure or refusal of the government of a sovereign state to pay back its debt in full when due. Cessation of due payments (or receivables) may either be accompanied by that government's formal declaration that it wil ...
. Cavallo proposed several bills; De la Rúa sent them to the Congress and they were approved. The "
superpowers law" authorized the chief of government to modify the national budget without the intervention of the Congress. There was a new tax on bank operations and more products attracted
value-added tax
A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared wi ...
. The wages of national customs workers were increased and some industries benefited from tax exemptions. The
Megacanje was a negotiation to delay the payment of foreign debt in exchange for higher interest rates.
[Reato, p. 130] However,
internal debt was still a problem because the provinces, especially
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, were nearing default. This led to conflicts between Cavallo and the provincial governors. Congress approved a bill for a "Zero deficit" policy to prevent further increases of debt and to work only with money from tax revenue. There was a
banking panic in November; the government reacted by introducing the "''
corralito''", which prevented people from withdrawing cash from banks. It was initially a temporary measure. The IMF refused to send the monthly payment for the line of credit approved at the beginning of the year because the government had not stuck to the "zero deficit" policy.
Riots and resignation

The crisis worsened and by 19 December 2001, riots and looting broke out at several points in the country. De la Rúa announced in a ''
cadena nacional'' (national network broadcast) that he had established a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
.
The riots continued; his speech was followed by increased protests, the ''
cacerolazos'', which caused 27 deaths and thousands of injuries.
Cavallo resigned at midnight the same day, and the rest of the cabinet followed suit.
There was increased looting on 20 December, both in Buenos Aires and the Conurbano. The ''cacerolazos'' continued; large groups of people started demonstrations calling for the government's resignation. The unions—first the CTA and then the
CGT—began general strikes against the state of emergency. Most of the UCR withdrew their support for De la Rúa, so he asked the PJ to create a government coalition. The PJ refused, and De la Rúa resigned from government. His last administrative action was to lift the state of emergency.
He gave his resignation to Congress on 20 December 2001 and left the
Casa Rosada
The ''Casa Rosada'' (), , is the president of the Argentine Republic's official workplace, located in Buenos Aires. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the pre ...
by helicopter as protesters blocked streets.
He had presided for two years, half of his allotted
term of office
A term of office, electoral term, or parliamentary term is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subjec ...
.
Because Vice President Carlos Álvarez had already resigned, the Congress convened to appoint a new president.
Adolfo Rodríguez Saá
Adolfo Rodríguez-Saá (; born 25 July 1947) is an Argentina, Argentine Peronism, Peronist politician. Born in a family that was highly influential in the history of the San Luis Province, he became the province's Governor of San Luis, governo ...
, governor of
San Luis Province
San Luis () is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country (on the 32° South parallel). Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja Province (Argentina), La Rioja, Córdo ...
, was in office for two months while calling for new presidential elections. Renewed demonstrations forced him to resign as well, and
Eduardo Duhalde
Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (; born 5 October 1941) is an Argentina, Argentine former peronist politician who served as the interim President of Argentina from January 2002 to May 2003. He also served as Vice President of Argentina, Vice President ...
was appointed as the new president. He was able to complete De la Rúa's term of office.
Later life and death
De la Rúa retired from political life after his resignation. The scandal over the labor flexibility law was renewed in 2003 when a former Senate worker,
Mario Pontaquarto, claimed to be a witness of the case who delivered $5,000,000 to the legislators. De la Rúa was indicted alongside seven politicians from both the UCR and the PJ. In 2013, they were all cleared of charges by a unanimous resolution, and Pontaquarto was removed from the witness protection program.
De la Rúa was also indicted for the police repression which took place during the crisis; he was tried by judge
Claudio Bonadio, who in 2009 declared him innocent. The Supreme Court overturned Bonadio's ruling and ordered him to further investigate the matter. De la Rúa and Cavallo were indicted for illegally benefiting the banks that took part in the Megacanje. They were declared innocent on 6 October 2014.
He died of heart failure on 9 July 2019 at age 81. He received a state funeral in Congress before a private burial the following day.
Public image
De la Rúa started to work in politics from a very young age. He was nicknamed "Chupete" () because of this; the nickname was still employed when he grew up. During Carlos Menem's administration he was perceived as a serious and formal politician, in stark contrast with Menem's style. De la Rúa took advantage of this perception during the electoral campaign of 1999. When he became president and the economic crisis worsened, he was perceived as a weak and tired man who was unable to react to the crisis. He was perceived as a man without leadership skills who could not make use of his presidential authority. De la Rúa thought that the parody of him by the television comedian
Freddy Villarreal helped to establish that image.
[Reato, p. 80] He sought to change his image by appearing on the television comedy show ''
El show de Videomatch'', but his appearance on the program backfired. He confused the names of the show and that of the host
Marcelo Tinelli
Marcelo Hugo Tinelli (born 1 April 1960) is an Argentine television and radio host, media producer and businessman, best known as the host of the TV show '' Showmatch'' broadcast on Argentina's El Trece.
One of the most famous supporters of sp ...
's wife. After De la Rúa's participation ended, Tinelli began to close the program; De la Rúa could be seen seeking an exit from the set in the background.
The aforementioned popular image of De la Rúa was further magnified when he was hospitalized for
peripheral artery disease
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a vascular disorder that causes abnormal narrowing of arteries other than those that supply the heart or brain. PAD can happen in any blood vessel, but it is more common in the legs than the arms.
When narr ...
caused by
high blood cholesterol. Although it is a standard, simple medical intervention, the medic told the press De la Rúa suffered from
arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...
, which is usually linked with a lack of speed and reflexes.
[Reato, pp. 81–82]
Honours
National honours
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Collar of the
Order of the Liberator General San Martín
The Order of the Liberator General San Martín () is the highest decoration in Argentina. It is awarded to foreign politicians or military, deemed worthy of the highest recognition from Argentina. It is granted by the sitting President of Argenti ...
*

Collar of the
Order of May
International honours
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
Biography and tenure by CIDOB(in Spanish)
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rua, Fernando de la
1937 births
2019 deaths
20th-century Argentine politicians
20th-century presidents of Argentina
Argentine people of Italian descent
Argentine people of Galician descent
Argentine people of Spanish descent
Deaths from kidney failure in Argentina
Heads of government who were later imprisoned
Mayors of Buenos Aires
Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Buenos Aires
Members of the Argentine Senate for Buenos Aires
National University of Córdoba alumni
Politicians from Córdoba, Argentina
Presidents of Argentina
Radical Civic Union politicians