Raúl Alfonsín
The Argentine president who championed democracy
The Argentine president who championed democracy
Raúl Alfonsín
1927–2009
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Raúl Alfonsín, who has died of lung cancer at 82, was the living embodiment of Argentine democracy. In 1983, he became his country’s first popularly elected leader after decades of brutal authoritarian rule; when he left office six years later, it was the first time since 1928 that power had passed peacefully to another party. “My inspiration comes from an ethic, rather than an ideology—an ethic that believes in the freedom of man,” he said.
The short, mustachioed Alfonsín was a military school graduate who rejected army life, said the London Times. Instead, he got a law degree and became a human-rights activist. In the 1950s he joined Argentina’s Radical Civic Union, “a party with a long tradition of upholding democratic values,” eventually serving two congressional terms and becoming party leader in 1981. Jailed three times for publicly opposing Argentina’s various juntas, Alfonsín offered free legal services “to the families of people who had been kidnapped by the security forces.”
Alfonsín’s pivotal moment came with the collapse of the military government of Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri, who had launched the disastrous Falklands war in 1982, said the London Independent. In the ensuing election, Alfonsín “just squeaked by with 52 percent of the vote. But it was a watershed as chastened militarists ceded power to a moderate politician.” The new president set about “building a civic culture after years of dictatorship,” prosecuting many officials who had killed up to 9,000 civilians during Argentina’s “dirty war” against so-called subversives. But “dark military elements continued to lurk in the background.” After escaping three coup attempts, Alfonsín reluctantly halted the trials. “It was impossible to put 2,000 members of the military on trial,” he explained. “We had no weapons.” In 1989 he left office five months early amid “food shortages, street disturbances, and uncontrolled hyperinflation.”
Argentines later embraced him for his courage and enlightenment. His final public appearance was in October, when President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner unveiled a bust of Alfonsín to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his election. “You are a symbol,” Kirchner declared, “of the return of democracy.” Alfonsín is survived by his wife and six children.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Democrats: The 2028 race has begun
Feature Democratic primaries have already kicked off in South Carolina
-
The Pentagon's missing missiles
Feature The U.S. military is low on weapons. Can it restock before a major conflict breaks out?
-
Rescissions: Trump's push to control federal spending
Feature The GOP passed a bill to reduce funding for PBS, NPR and other public media stations
-
Norman Tebbit: fearsome politician who served as Thatcher's enforcer
In the Spotlight Former Conservative Party chair has died aged 94
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: which party are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Alex Salmond: charismatic politician who nearly broke up the Union
In the Spotlight Remembering the former First Minister who 'normalised' the cause of Scottish independence