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History and Government
History: Europeans first arrived in the territory which became Argentina in the early 16th century. After becoming a vice-royalty of Spain in the 1770s, Argentina achieved independence in 1816. Between the mid-19th century and 1946 Argentina swung from civilian to military rule and from radical to conservative policies. In 1943 a coup resulted in the rise of Lt General Peron Sosa as President. After winning the election of 1946, Peron instigated a policy of extreme nationalism and social improvement. He founded the Peronista movement and after his overthrow in 1955 continued to direct the movement from his Spanish exile. The ensuing administrations failed to secure the full allegiance of either the people or the trade unions and Peron was triumphantly re-elected as President in 1973. On his death a year later his wife, Isabelita Peron, took over but chaos ensued and she was deposed by a military coup in 1976.
The legacy of Peron (and his wife) continues to inspire Argentinian politicians to this day. The end of the Peronist period heralded perhaps the darkest period in Argentinian history. Driven by an obsessive fear of 'communism' and 'subversion' - and supported by governments through the Americas (including Washington) - the military regime instituted a reign of terror in which disappearances, torture and extra-judicial murder were commonplace. The military's blatant inability to run the economy did much to undermine such credibility as they enjoyed. But the final straw was the invasion of the Falklands/Malvinas islands in 1982, which led to a humiliating defeat for the Argentinian military at the hands of a British task force and led swiftly to the collapse of the regime and the inauguration of a new era of civilian politics.
The Partido Justicialista (PJ) carried the Peronist banner while its main opponent was the Union Civica Radical (UCR), a reform-minded centrist party with a history stretching back to the 1930s. The UCR won a majority of national assembly seats and its candidate, a provincial governor named Raul Alfonsin Foukes, assumed the presidency in 1983. The UCR was successful in negotiating the transition to civilian rule and restoring the credibility of the country's civilian polity: a considerable achievement given the continuous rumble of dissatisfaction from the military and discontent from a population seeking retribution for years of repression and improvement in their economic circumstances.
However, it was economic failures that undid the UCR government: by the time of Alfonsin's departure from office in June 1989 Argentina was racked by four-digit annual inflation and still financially crippled by massive foreign debts. The Peronist challenger, Carlos Menem, led his party to victory and promptly instituted a programme of financial austerity and economic liberalisation, including the complex and politically dangerous task of dismantling the country's vast public sector. The programme was sufficiently successful for Menem to secure a second term of office in 1995. However, a subsequent economic downturn and persistent attempts by President Menem to alter the constitution (to allow him to stand for a third term of office) undermined his party's position.
A new centre-left party, Frepaso, which emerged in 1993, initially attracted much of the anti-Peronist vote away from the UCR. However, the two parties subsequently combined in a united outfit, known as Concertacion (Alliance), to present a concerted and ultimately successful challenge to the PJ at the presidential and legislative elections at the end of 1999. Ex-Buenos Aires' mayor Fernando de la Rua Bruno, standing for Concertacion, won a narrow victory over the Justicialista (Peronist) Eduardo Duhalde, although the alliance failed to secure an absolute majority in the simultaneous poll for the national assembly.
A key domestic challenge for the new government is to restore confidence in the nation's public institutions, much of which, during the years of private-sector growth under Menem, has become ossified and corrupt. Since the signing of a joint statement in July 1999, relations between Argentina and Britain have improved, however, a dispute still exists between the Argentine and British governments, concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). Abroad, the Falklands/Malvinas dispute has been overshadowed by more important concerns over Argentina's relations with its neighbours - especially Brazil - and regional economic co-operation and convergence.
Government: Under the amended constitution which came into force in August 1994, legislative power is in the bicameral Congreso (Congress), comprising a 257-member lower house, the Camara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies), and a 72-member Senado (Senate). Members of the lower house are elected every four years by proportional representation; the senate is indirectly elected by provincial legislatures and serves a six-year term. Executive power is held by the president, assisted by a cabinet of ministers, who is directly elected for a four-year term (renewable once only).
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General
