Argentina celebrates this sunday 40 years of uninterrupted democracyAfter the last military dictatorship (1976-1983), with the inauguration of ultraliberals as president Javier Milei.
He was sworn in as the first democratically elected president on December 10, 1983. violent military regime, Raúl AlfonsínPeronist candidate Ítalo Luder from the Radical Civil Union (UCR), who won the elections held on October 30 with 51.7% of the votes, received 40.1% of the votes.
The military government encouraged Systematic death or disappearance of political enemies By the end of 1982, the dictatorship was dying after Argentina’s defeat by the United Kingdom in the War of the Malvinas (April-June 1982).
After the failure of the war, which resulted in the deaths of 649 Argentines, 255 British and three islanders, the then de facto president Leopoldo Fortunato Galtierirelieved Reynaldo BignoneHe was not a member of the military junta that ruled the country. Already at that time he announced that there would be a democratic transition in Argentina that would lead to elections in 1983.
Alfonsín’s campaign was based on conveying the idea of peace in the face of anger at everything that happened in those ‘dark years’. And he used it as a method to conclude his speeches with the preamble to the National Constitution; this was something former Peronist candidate Sergio Massa saved for the second election round as a nod to radical politicians and voters. He lost to Milei.
This ‘burying’ of hatred Crimes committed during the dictatorship are often cited as one of the keys to his victoryThis led to the start of the historic trial against the military juntas two years later.
Precisely the crimes of the dictatorship became one of the most controversial issues during the 2023 election campaign, which brought victory to the leader of La Libertad Avanza (far right), who denied the existence of the figure predicted by human rights organizations. Of these, 30,000 were lost to the military regime and only 8,751 were recognized.
It was the vice president-elect whose statements were much harsher. Victoria VillarruelWho defends?two devils theoryIn his article titled ‘, he identifies the violence committed by guerrilla groups in the 1970s with state terrorism during the seven-year dictatorship and attacks human rights organizations.
Among his criticisms, he said Estela de Carlotto, president of the association of Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, known worldwide as a reference in human rights activism, was a “sinister character”.
Forty years later, another ‘radical’ will be in power since Milei Luis Petri appointed as Minister of DefenseHe was the Vice Presidential candidate this year and belonged to the same party as the late Alfonsín.
But for the first time in forty years One of the few consensuses that Argentine society has is being questioned.