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Mauricio Macri

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Mauricio Macri
President of Argentina
Elect
Assuming office
10 December 2015
Vice PresidentGabriela Michetti (Elect)
SucceedingCristina Fernández de Kirchner
5th Chief of Government of Buenos Aires
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 December 2007
DeputyGabriela Michetti
María Eugenia Vidal
Preceded byJorge Telerman
Succeeded byHoracio Rodríguez Larreta (Elect)
30th Chairman of the Boca Juniors
In office
27 February 2008 – 1 June 2008
Preceded byPedro Pompilio
Succeeded byJorge Amor Ameal
In office
3 December 1995 – 4 December 2007
Preceded byAntonio Alegre
Succeeded byPedro Pompilio
Personal details
Born (1959-02-08) 8 February 1959 (age 65)
Tandil, Argentina
Political partyCommitment to Change (2003–2009)
Republican Proposal (2009–present)
Other political
affiliations		Cambiemos (2015–present)
Spouse(s)Yvonne Bordeu (1981–1991)
Isabel Menditeguy (1994–2005)
Juliana Awada (2010–present)
ChildrenAgustina
Jimena
Francisco
Antonia
Alma materPontifical Catholic University of Argentina
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

Mauricio Macri (Spanish pronunciation: [mauˈɾisjo ˈmakɾi]; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine civil engineer, businessman and politician, and Head of Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Son of Francisco Macri, a prominent Italian businessman in the industrial and construction sectors, he represented the City of Buenos Aires in the lower house of the Argentine congress and has held his current office since 10 December 2007.

He was considered a potential candidate for the 2011 general elections, but declined to run for the presidency of the country and ran instead for reelection as mayor. He got nearly 47% of the vote in the mayoral election, leading to a runoff vote on 31 July 2011 against candidate Daniel Filmus, which he won, getting elected for his second consecutive term.[1]

On 22 November 2015, after a tie in the first round of presidential elections on 25 October, Macri won the first ballotage in Argentina's history, beating Front for Victory candidate Daniel Scioli and becoming president-elect. Macri will be the first democratically elected non-radical or peronist president since 1916.[2] He will take office on 10 December 2015.[3][4][5]

Biography

Mauricio Macri was born in Tandil, in the province of Buenos Aires, son of the Italian-born tycoon Francisco Macri and Alicia Blanco Villegas, a woman of Spanish descent. Macri studied at the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA), where he received a degree in civil engineering. In 1985, he also attended short courses at Columbia Business School, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the local Universidad del CEMA.[6]

Macri taking part in a friendly match of beach soccer.
Macri playing a friendly match of beach soccer.

His professional experience started in SIDECO Americana S.A., a construction company belonging to his father's holding company, the Socma Group, where he worked for 3 years as Junior Analyst, later becoming a Senior Analyst. In 1984, he worked in the credit department of Citibank Argentina, in Buenos Aires. He joined Socma the same year, and from 1985 onward he served as general manager. In 1992 he became the vice president of Sevel Argentina (then manufacturing Fiat and Peugeot automobiles under licence in Argentina, and part of Socma), climbing to the presidency in 1994.[6]

In 1991, he was kidnapped for 12 days by officers of the Argentine Federal Police, and then freed after his family reportedly paid a multi-million dollar ransom.[7] He has since said that the ordeal led him to decide to enter politics.[8]

He gained recognition as president of one of the most popular football clubs in Argentina, Boca Juniors. He was elected in 1995 and reelected in 1999 and 2003, to complete one of the most successful periods of the club, winning 7 national tournaments and 11 international competitions.[9][10]

Political career

In 2003 Macri made his political debut when he founded the centre-right party Compromiso para el Cambio (Commitment to Change),[11] and later that year he ran for mayor of the City of Buenos Aires for his party. He won the first round of the election with 33.9% but lost the runoff election with 47% of the vote to his opponent Aníbal Ibarra.

Mauricio and his wife, Juliana Awada, at Teatro Colón in 2011.
Mauricio and his wife, Juliana Awada, at Teatro Colón in 2011.

In 2005, he joined Ricardo López Murphy of Recrear to create a right-wing electoral front called Propuesta Republicana (PRO) and successfully ran in the City of Buenos Aires for the Chamber of Deputies where he won with 33.9% of the votes.[12] This and later campaigns were managed by Jaime Durán Barba.[13]

Throughout 2006 he alternated his political activities as deputy with his presidency of the soccer club Boca Juniors. In 2007 Macri was in discussions with right-conservative Jorge Sobisch,[14] governor of Neuquén Province, ahead of the 2007 national elections. However, this agreement was in conflict with the previous alliance with Ricardo López Murphy who had decided to run for the presidency and had denounced Sobisch for corruption, providing as proof a video where Sobisch was bribing Jorge Taylor, deputy of the Radical party. Later that year, Sobisch's image was severely damaged when the school teacher Carlos Fuentealba was killed during a union demonstration in Neuquén. Facing this situation, Macri immediately backed out of his agreements with Sobisch and remained neutral during the national elections of 2007.[15]

In February 2007 Macri announced that he would run once again for the mayoral elections of the City of Buenos Aires in 2007, heading the PRO slate with Gabriela Michetti as his running mate. In the first round of the election on 2 June 2007 he won with 45.6% of votes over the government-backed candidate, Daniel Filmus, who received 23.8% of the votes. The incumbent, Jorge Telerman, came in third. The runoff election between Macri and Filmus took place on 24 June 2007, and resulted in Macri's victory with 60.96% of the votes.[16][17]

Macri with his wife Juliana Awada and his daughter Antonia, meeting Pope Francis.

Macri's victory was largely analyzed as a defeat for President Néstor Kirchner and turned the elected mayor into the leader of the right-wing opposition, which has remained fractured after the Argentine political crisis of late 2001.[18] The perceived blow to Kirchner's political support was reinforced by the provincial elections in Tierra del Fuego, which took place on the same day, where another candidate backed by the national government lost to ARI's Fabiana Ríos.

Mauricio Macri made an alliance for the 2009 elections with Francisco de Narváez and Felipe Solá. The alliance was successful, as De Narvaez defeated Kirchner in the Buenos Aires province and Gabriela Michetti, Macri's candidate, won the elections in the city of Buenos Aires. Macri was thus considered as a likely candidate to dispute the presidency in the 2011 elections. However, the 2011 electoral season began with Fernández' job approval around 58 percent,[19] and polling indicating that she would likely be reelected in the first round.[20]

In 2011, instead of running for the presidency, he ran for his reelection as mayor. He won the first rounds of the election on 10 July 2011, with 47.08% of votes against Filmus with 27.78% and Fernando "Pino" Solanas as main rivals, and won the runoff against Filmus again on 31 July now with 64.25% of the votes.[21]

Buenos Aires administration

Macri during the opening of the 125th IOC Session, held in Buenos Aires.

Public transport

Macri's administration did a great deal of work related to public transport, seeking to reduce heavy traffic. One of those works is the Metrobus, a Bus Rapid Transit system built in the main avenues of Buenos Aires. Other streets have bikeways, to promote the use of bicycles and the city created the EcoBici bicycle sharing scheme. Several level crossings on the city's commuter rail network have been replaced by tunnels. The Line A of the Buenos Aires Underground, that still used wooden cars almost a century old, received a renewed fleet of modern cars, among other fleet renewals on the network.[22]

Macri visiting the new 200 Series trains on Line A, Buenos Aires Underground.

Union conflicts

One of the first administrative decisions taken by his government was to fire 2,400 city employees under contract, whose contracts were not renewed, claiming that they were "ñoquis". This action caused conflicts with the city unions which were followed up by strikes of the SUTECBA-CGT and ATE-CTA unions. In response to the strike, Macri administratively intervened the medical security organization of the city workers which depends on the unions.[23]

Macri meeting with the then Minister of State for Finance and Transport of Singapore, Josephine Teo, in 2012

Metropolitan police

Main article: Buenos Aires Metropolitan Police

The main police force which acts in the city is the Argentine Federal Police. The city, being a capital district until 1994 when a new National Constitution was sanctioned, did not elect the mayor who by then was appointed by the president. When in 1996 the new City Constitution was created, a national law was passed, known as "Cafiero Law", which kept the Federal Police control for the Ministry of Justice of the National Government. Since then this lack of control of any police force by the mayor, has been a persistent problem between the city and the federal government.

After several months of negotiations with the National Government, they did not arrive at any agreement, and on March 2008, Macri announced he would create a new Metropolitan Police force under his control. On 28 October 2008, the law was passed by the Legislature of Buenos Aires. Initially it would have approximately 1,000 effectives and it should start working by the end of 2009.[24] The situations in which this police force would be allowed to act are yet to be determined by an agreement with the National Government, but in principle it would be allowed to act in evictions and traffic blocking protests.[25]

The first chief of the Metropolitan Police, Jorge Alberto "Fino" Palacios was forced to resign on 25 August 2009 after an important public resistance,[26][27] due to an ongoing investigation about his involvement in the AMIA bombing of 1994, his successor was his second in command, Osvaldo Chamorro.[28]

Spy scandal

Main article: Buenos Aires municipal spy scandal

In October 2009, Sergio Burstein, a leader of the Jewish community who had led the opposition against the appointment of Fino Palacios as Chief of Police (because of his connections with the terrorist attack on the AMIA), announced in court that he was being spied on by the Police of the City of Buenos Aires.[29] Shortly thereafter, the Chief Justice concluded that Burstein was, in fact, being spied upon by a group that involved Fino and his successor Osvaldo Palacios Chamorro, a federal police lawyer who worked for the Ministry of Education of Buenos Aires (Ciro James), two judges of the Province of Misiones, among others.[29]

The investigation revealed that the spying included opposition leaders and even leaders from Macri's own party as well as businessmen, trade unionists and their families between the Head of Government, as the spies had illegally tapped the phone of his brother-in-law, a parapsychologist who had been threatened by Macri's father, industrialist Franco Macri. In December 2009, Fino Palacios, Osvaldo Chamorro and Ciro James were arrested for this incident.[citation needed]

Macri said that the case, headed by judge Norberto Oyarbide, was an attempt by Néstor Kirchner to frame him.[30] Judge Sebastián Casanello cleared Macri of the charges, ruling that there was not enough evidence of a crime to involve Macri in the case.[31]

Presidential elections

Macri ran for president of Argentina in the 2015 presidential elections. As President Cristina Kirchner was unable to run, initial opinion polls revealed a three-way tie among Macri, the Kirchnerite governor Daniel Scioli, and the mayor of Tigre Sergio Massa.[32] Failing to achieve enough support, the Broad Front UNEN coalition disbanded, and Elisa Carrió and the Radical Civic Union created a new coalition with the Republican Proposal, forming Cambiemos. He supported Horacio Rodríguez Larreta against Gabriela Michetti in the primary elections of PRO for the new mayor of Buenos Aires. Larreta won both the primary and the main elections, and Michetti was selected as candidate for the vicepresidency. Macri also declined an electoral alliance with Massa, and kept María Eugenia Vidal as candidate for governor of the Buenos Aires province.[33]

Macri, Carrió and Ernesto Sanz ran in the primary elections, which was won by Macri.[34] The primary elections and opinion polls indicated that Scioli might be the victor in the first round of the general election, but Macri and Scioli tied, leading to a ballotage.[35]

On 22 November 2015, Macri beat Front For Victory candidate Daniel Scioli. Days after the election, United States President Barack Obama telephoned Macri to congratulate him on the results. According to the White House press release, President Obama "emphasized the longstanding partnership between the United States and Argentina and conveyed his commitment to deepen cooperation on multilateral issues, improve commercial ties, and expand opportunities in the energy sector."[36][37][38]

Mauricio Macri will take office on 10 December 2015.[3][4][5]

Political views

Macri at the celebrations for the 202 anniversary of the May Revolution.
Macri at the celebrations for the 202 anniversary of the May Revolution.

Macri has expressed pro-life views regarding the abortion debate. In an interview published by La Nación in 2014, Macri stated: "I am in favor of life; I don't think we need to open that debate".[39] Nevertheless, he clarified that he would abide by any law on the matter sanctioned by Congress, regardless of his personal views.[40]

Macri has promised that, if he were to win the presidential elections, he would distance himself from the populist government of Venezuela and attempt a realignment of Argentina's foreign policy with the aim of improving relations with the Pacific Alliance, which encompasses Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile. When asked what he would like to change about Argentina's current foreign policy, he replied "Everything!".[41]

At the second 2015 Presidential Debate, which saw both Daniel Scioli and Mauricio Macri discussing issues ranging from the economy and foreign policy to education and poverty, Macri expressed he is determined, if elected President, to call for Venezuela's suspension from Mercosur as a result of President Maduro's perceived violations of the Democratic Clause of Mercosur.[41] There is precedent for measures like this, as Paraguay was suspended from Mercosur in 2012 following the impeachment of Fernando Lugo,[42] an event that was also criticized by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.[43]

Regarding Argentina's trade partner Brazil, Macri has said that he will make it a priority to create a "strategic alliance" with Brazil in order to initiate discussions of unification with the Pacific Alliance.[41] When asked about Argentina's possible relations with the United States, Macri stated that he is interested in strengthening ties with Washington and coordinate efforts in fighting the War on Drugs in Argentina.[41]

Macri has expressed a will to end currency controls,[44] which have been in place in Argentina since 2011.[45]

Presidency

Mauricio Macri will take office on 10 December 2015. He has promised to reduce inflation, improve conditions for business, and cease the international aligment with Venezuela and Iran.[46] He has committed to broaden Argentina's relationship with the United Kingdom, and move away from a focus on the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute, saying "The relationship with Great Britain is very important to us, and we will work to create different possible areas for constructive dialogue between our countries".[47] The issue was not, however, widely discussed during the 2015 election campaign. No presidential candidates in the elections, including Macri, mentioned it during the presidential debates, even during segments on international relations.[48]

Macri has announced an infrastructure development strategy named Plan Belgrano (after Manuel Belgrano), a plan aimed at building infrastructure and encouraging industry development in ten of Argentina's northern provinces, which have historically lagged behind the rest of the country in these areas. The plan includes a proposed investment of 16 billion dollars over the course of 10 years, along with an "historical reconstruction fund" of 50 billion pesos to be used in 4 years. Other objectives of the plan include the provision of housing for some 250,000 families, and the construction of 1400 child care centers.[49][50][51]

See also

References

  1. ^ "El jefe de gobierno fue reelecto por amplio margen". www.lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  2. ^ "Mauricio Macri, el primer presidente desde 1916 que no es peronista ni radical" (in Spanish). Los Andes. 22 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Elecciones 2015: minuto a minuto, los resultados para conocer al próximo presidente". lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Mauricio Macri wins historic presidential runoff". Buenos Aires Herald. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Buenos Aires mayor favored in Argentina's presidential election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b Mauricio Macri's curriculum vitae, cema.edu.ar; accessed 23 November 2015.
  7. ^ "Río Negro: Detuvieron a ex comisario por el secuestro de Macri" (in Spanish). Rionegro.com.ar. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. ^ Faries, Bill (25 June 2007). "Kirchner's Argentina Electoral Losses Fuel Opposition". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  9. ^ "Macri reasumió la presidencia de Boca". edant.clarin.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Pompilio, ganador por amplio margen sobre Digón - Perfil.com". Perfil.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  11. ^ Murphy, Martin (25 June 2007). "Profile: Mauricio Macri". BBC News. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  12. ^ "Macri's profile". Terra.com.ar. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  13. ^ "El gurú de Macri y De Narváez reparte consejos a los políticos". clarin.com. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  14. ^ "Macri y Sobisch unen fuerzas con la vista puesta en el 2007". Clarin.com. 16 March 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Macri volvió a tomar distancia del gobernador Jorge Sobisch". Lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  16. ^ Bloomberg.com, 4 June 2007. Macri Expects Run-Off Election Win After First Round Victory.
  17. ^ BBC News, 25 June 2007. Profile: Mauricio Macri.
  18. ^ Bloomberg.com, 25 June 2007. Kirchner's Argentina Electoral Losses Fuel Opposition.
  19. ^ "La imagen positiva de Fernández sube a niveles de comienzos de su Gobierno". Agencia EFE.
  20. ^ "Cristina, en todas las encuestas, gana cómoda en primera vuelta". Diagonales. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  21. ^ lanacion.com, 31 July 2011. estableció un nuevo récord en la ciudad
  22. ^ "Preadjudican 105 coches a CNR para la línea A". EnElSubte. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  23. ^ Clarín, 28 December 2007 (Spanish)
  24. ^ Clarín, 29 October 2008 (Spanish)
  25. ^ Clarín, 30 October 2008 (Spanish)
  26. ^ TELAM: AMIA, Victims' relatives demanded Justice and "Fino" Palacios' resignation
  27. ^ Buenos Aires Herald, Opposition begins campaign to remove Jorge Palacios from Metropolitan Police
  28. ^ Clarín, 26 August 2009 (Spanish)
  29. ^ a b Quién es Ciro James, el policía que espiaba... ¿para Macri? (Who is Ciro James, the policeman who spy... for Macri?), terra.com.ar; accessed 23 November 2015.
  30. ^ Paz Rodríguez Niell (15 May 2010). "Oyarbide procesó a Macri por integrar una asociación ilícita". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ "La Cámara Federal confirmó que Macri no va a juicio por las escuchas telefónicas ilegales" (in Spanish). Infobae. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ "Las últimas encuestas confirman que sigue el triple empate entre Massa y Macri y Scioli" (in Spanish). La Política Online. 22 November 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ Jaime Rosemberg (22 November 2015). "Macri: el gladiador del cambio que sueña con vencer al kirchnerismo". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 November 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ "Total nacional" (in Spanish). Elecciones argentinas. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  35. ^ Jonathan Watts and Uki Goñi (26 October 2015). "Argentina's presidential election headed for second round after no clear winner". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  36. ^ "Resumen de la llamada del Presidente con el Presidente-electo Mauricio Macri de Argentina". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  37. ^ "Barack Obama felicitó a Mauricio Macri y se comprometió a trabajar en el sector energético". www.lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  38. ^ "Obama congratulates Argentine President-elect Macri: White House". Reuters UK. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  39. ^ "Mauricio Macri, sobre la despenalización del aborto: "Estoy a favor de la vida; no creo que haga falta abrir ese debate"". lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  40. ^ "Mauricio Macri desautorizó a Durán Barba por sus dichos sobre el papa Francisco y el aborto". La Nación (in Spanish). 20 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  41. ^ a b c d "OPPENHEIMER: La política exterior de Macri". elnuevoherald. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  42. ^ "Argentina "no convalidará el golpe en Paraguay" mientras que Brasil sugirió que quedaría fuera de la Unasur y el Mercosur". lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  43. ^ OAS (1 August 2009). "OAS – Organization of American States: Democracy for peace, security, and development". oas.org. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  44. ^ "Las cinco promesas que les hizo Macri a los empresarios | Cambio climático, Inflación, Eduardo Eurnekian". Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  45. ^ "Relaxation therapy". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  46. ^ Jonathan Watts and Uki Goñi (22 November 2015). "Argentina election: second round vote could spell end for 'Kirchnerism'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  47. ^ Harriet Alexander (22 October 2015). "Argentina's presidential hopeful promises better relations with Britain over the Falklands". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  48. ^ "Transcripción completa del debate presidencial entre Macri y Scioli". La Nacion. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  49. ^ "¿En qué consiste el "Plan Belgrano" de Mauricio Macri para desarrollar el norte del país?". www.lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  50. ^ ""Plan Belgrano": el programa de inversiones para el Norte que anunciará Macri en el nuevo tramo de la campaña". Terra. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  51. ^ "En Tucumán, Mauricio Macri presentó sus propuestas para el desarrollo del norte del país | Mauricio Macri - Infobae". Retrieved 26 November 2015.
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Political offices
Preceded by Chief of Government of Buenos Aires
2007–present 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of Argentina
Elect
2015–present 		Incumbent
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