Juan Andrés Ramírez

Juan Andrés Ramírez (born 11 October 1947) is a Uruguayan lawyer and politician.

Background

Juan Andrés Ramírez was born in Montevideo. He studied law, becoming a well-known civil lawyer. He became a member of the National Party. In the 1989 general elections, he was elected as a Senator of the Herrerismo faction of the National Party.

Interior Minister

President Luis Alberto Lacalle selected him as Interior Minister of his government, so Ramírez did not take up his Senator post. He was Interior Minister from March 1990 to November 1993, being replaced by Raúl Iturria.

1994 Presidential elections

Lacalle designated Ramírez as Herrerismo candidate for the 1994 presidential elections. Ramírez lost the elections within the National Party to Alberto Volonté, and the National Party narrowly lost to the Colorado Party.

Controversies

In 1995, Ramírez split from the Herrerismo faction, in the midst of accusations of corruption against Lacalle. Ramírez founded his own sector, Desafío Nacional, and ran for president against Lacalle in the 1999 primary elections. He made an alliance with Jorge Larrañaga, leader of Alianza Nacional, whom he selected as his vice-presidential elections for the primary elections. Although he lost to Lacalle, his accusations of corruption against his former mentor weakened significantly the National Party in the run-up to the general elections, and the National Party came in third in October 1999. He supported Jorge Batlle of the Colorado Party in the run-off election against Tabaré Vázquez in November 1999. Batlle won that run-off election.

Withdrawal from active politics

After 1999, Ramírez withdrew from active politics. A member of his faction, Alvaro Alonso, served as Employment Minister in Jorge Batlle's administration from 2000 to 2002. In 2004, he supported Jorge Larrañaga's successful bid for the National Party nomination.

Ramírez currently works as a lawyer in Montevideo.

ee also

* Politics of Uruguay

* List of political families#Uruguay