Miguel Ángel Pichetto (born 24 October 1950) is an Argentine lawyer and conservative Peronist politician. He is Auditor General of the Nation. He was National Senator for

Río Negro Province Río Negro (, ''Black River'') is a province of Argentina, located in northern Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Its cap ...

for eighteen years and was the vice-presidential candidate of

Juntos por el Cambio (JxC, ) was a political coalition in Argentina. A liberal coalition, it was created in 2015 as Cambiemos (), and renamed in 2019. It was composed of Republican Proposal, Radical Civic Union, Civic Coalition ARI and United Republicans. These ...

in the 2019 general election. Ideologically, he considers himself a

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 ...

, republican and

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

, while also an admirer of

Julio Argentino Roca Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an Argentine army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the ...

and

Carlos Saúl 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 Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years (from 1990 to 2001 and agai ...

administrations.

Biography

Pichetto was born in

Banfield, Buenos Aires Banfield is a city in the district of Lomas de Zamora in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, south of the city center of Buenos Aires. It forms part of the Greater Buenos Aires metro area. History The area where the city is currently located o ...

. He earned a law degree at the

National University of La Plata The National University of La Plata (, UNLP) is a national public research university located in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It has over 90,000 regular students, 10,000 teaching staff, 17 departments and 10 ...

in 1976 and relocated to Río Negro Province, where he served as counsel for ''Hierro Patagónico Sierra Grande'', a

pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...

smelter, and for the Provincial Government.

Political career

He was elected to the Sierra Grande City Council in 1983, and in 1985 became mayor of the city, serving until 1987. Pichetto married María Teresa Minassian, with whom he had two children. Pichetto was elected to the Provincial Assembly in 1988, and was re-elected in 1991. He was named president of the

chapter of the PJ, and was elected to the

Argentine Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies (), officially the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation, is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress (). It is made up of 257 national deputies who are elected in multi-member constituencies c ...

in 1993. He was named Vice-President of the

Justicialist The Justicialist Party (, ; abbr. PJ) is a major political party in Argentina, and the largest branch within Peronism. Following the 2023 presidential election, it has been the largest party in the opposition against President Javier Milei. Fou ...

caucus in the Lower House in 1997; elections that year resulted in steep losses for the PJ, and Pichetto was not re-elected to a second term. Throughout his career he was a "disciplined" party man, and supported 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 ...

neo-liberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...

break from the traditionally

populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

PJ platform during the 1990s. Pichetto took a leading role on legal, justice and penal matters and was appointed to the

Council of Magistracy of the Nation The Council of Magistracy of the Nation () is an organ of the Judicial Branch of the Government of Argentina. It is in charge of appointing judges, of presenting charges against them to an Accusation Jury, and of suspending or deposing them. The c ...

, the senior justice advisory body, in 1998, and re-elected in 2001. He sat on the committees on prosecution, the appointment of judges and judicial school, and later chaired the disciplinary committee, and served on the administration and finance committees. Pichetto was elected senator in 2001, his term ending in 2007. He was elected President of the PJ caucus in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on December 30, 2002, and despite his earlier support for the more

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Menem, became a prominent

Kirchnerist Kirchnerism ( ) is an Argentine political movement based on ideals formed by the supporters of spouses Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who consecutively served as Presidents of Argentina. Although considered a branch of Peron ...

. He thus joined the

center-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commonl ...

Front for Victory The Front for Victory (, 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 were elected as representatives ...

faction of the PJ in support of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner Ostoić (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the president of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Justicialist Party, he previously served as Governor of Sa ...

. Pichetto campaigned for governor of Río Negro Province in the 2007 elections. There was some doubt as to whether

Kirchner Kirchner is an occupational surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word (' sexton', 'priest', 'church assistant' or 'church property administrator'). Notable people with the name include: Arts * Alfred Kirchner (born 1937) ...

would support fellow Peronist Pichetto, or the incumbent UCR governor, Miguel Saiz, who was a leading supporter of Kirchner from (the opposition) UCR ranks. Kirchner ultimately kept out of the provincial elections, and Pichetto lost to Saiz. Pichetto was re-elected to the Senate that year, however. He retained a key role in the passage of numerous Kirchnerist initiatives through the Senate, though differences arose with President

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 former politician who served as the 56th president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, and later as the 37th Vice ...

over his support of the Law of the Protection of Glaciers in 2010: he was among those who voted for the bill, which passed on September 30 and was later vetoed by the president. Pichetto also objected to the president's support of Río Negro Governor Miguel Saiz of the UCR (to whom he lost in 2007). These differences cost Pichetto clout in the Senate among fellow Kirchnerists, and contributed to the president's decision against endorsing Pichetto as the PJ candidate for governor in 2011; Carlos Soria won the nomination instead, and was ultimately elected governor. The untimely death of Governor Soria in January 2012 enhanced Pichetto's role in Río Negro politics. He was appointed president of the Río Negro PJ, and his son, Juan Manuel Pichetto, was appointed Minister of Production in the horticulture-rich province - becoming thought of by opponents as a "shadow governor" to Soria's successor,

Alberto Weretilneck Alberto Weretilneck (born 11 October 1962) is an Argentine politician currently serving as Governor of Río Negro Province, governor of Río Negro Province since 2023. He previously held the same position from 2012 to 2019. From 2019 to 2023, h ...

. From his bench Pichetto accompanied the main projects of the government of

, such as resolution 125, the nationalization of the AFJP and the media law. After

Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previously ...

assumed the presidency in 2015, Pichetto accompanied several of the legislative projects of the new management. One of them was the voluntary payment of USD 9.3 billion to the

vulture funds A vulture is a bird of prey that Scavenger, scavenges on carrion. There are 23 Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and ...

, which would allow him to leave the country of the

default Default may refer to: Law * Default (law), the failure to do something required by law ** Default (finance), failure to satisfy the terms of a loan obligation or failure to pay back a loan ** Default judgment, a binding judgment in favor of eit ...

in which he was. He also supported the pension reform carried out in 2017. The interior minister, Rogelio Frigerio, highlighted the role of Pichetto, since it has been fundamental for the approval of more than 200 laws favorable to the government of

Cambiemos (JxC, ) was a political coalition in Argentina. A liberal coalition, it was created in 2015 as Cambiemos (), and renamed in 2019. It was composed of Republican Proposal, Radical Civic Union, Civic Coalition ARI and United Republicans. These ...

. In 2020 Pichetto formally left the Justicialist Party (of which he had been a member since 1983) and joined the

UNIR Constitutional Nationalist Party The Constitutional Nationalist Party – Union for Integration and Resurgence (, PNC–UNIR), often known by the shortened name UNIR Constitutional Nationalist Party or simply UNIR Party, is a conservative political party in Argentina founded in ...

, also announcing his intention to create a new national political party in 2021.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pichetto, Miguel Angel 1950 births Living people People from Banfield, Buenos Aires People from Sierra Grande, Río Negro Argentine people of Italian descent National University of La Plata alumni 20th-century Argentine lawyers Mayors of places in Argentina Members of the Argentine Senate for Río Negro Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Río Negro Members of the Argentine Council of Magistracy Justicialist Party politicians Argentine deputies 2023–2025