Eduardo Duhalde

Infobox_President
name=Eduardo Duhalde

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250px
nationality=Argentine
order= 51st President of Argentina
term_start=2 January 2002
term_end=24 May 2003
predecessor=Eduardo Camaño
successor=Néstor Kirchner
birth_date=birth date and age|1941|10|05
birth_place=Lomas de Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires
dead=alive
spouse=Hilda Duhalde
party=Justicialist
profession=Lawyer
order2= Governor of Buenos Aires
2º Term
order3=Governor of Buenos Aires
1º Term
term3= 11 December 1991 – 9 December 1995
term2= 10 December 1995 – 9 December 1999
predecessor2=Reelected
successor2=Carlos Ruckauf
predecessor3=Antonio Cafiero
successor3= ReelectedInfobox Politician
nominee = President of Argentina
party_election = Justicialist
election_date = 24 October 1999
runningmate = Ramón Ortega
opponent = Fernando de la Rúa
incumbent = Carlos Menem
birth_date=birth date and age|1941|10|05
birth_place=Lomas de Zamora, Greater Buenos Aires
dead=alive
spouse=Hilda de Duhalde
party=Justicialist
profession=Lawyer

Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (born 5 October 1941) is a former president of Argentina.

Duhalde was born in Lomas de Zamora, in the Greater Buenos Aires. He graduated as a lawyer in 1970. In 1987 he became a member of the Argentine National Congress and became vice-president under Carlos Menem from 1989 to his resignation in 1991. In 1991 he won the first of two terms as governor of Buenos Aires.

He ran for president in 1999, after a failed attempt by Carlos Menem to run for a third term, but he was defeated by Fernando de la Rúa. Duhalde came in second place with 37% of the vote. After de la Rúa's resignation, due to the economic crisis and the December 2001 riots, Duhalde was appointed President of Argentina by the Legislative Assembly on 2 January 2002 during an unclear series of events that some people deemed as a conspiracy .

Initially to serve for a few months, until the chaotic situation of the country could be controlled, Duhalde stayed in office during more than one year. During this time, he confirmed the default of most of the Argentine public debt, and ended peg of the Argentine peso to the U.S. dollar, which triggered inflation, massive discontent and left more than a half of the country in poverty. Furthemore he took notoriety because of his said that those people who deposited dollars would receive dollars, before the "forced pesification" of the dollar deposits at an exchange rate of 1,40 pesos. Duhalde managed to stabilize the turmoil and, under some political pressure, called for elections six months ahead of schedule.

Duhalde was succeeded by Néstor Kirchner on 25 May 2003. Duhalde's political and logistical support for Kirchner and against Carlos Menem was seen by many as an attempt of Duhalde to continue ruling as "the power behind the throne". After a while, however, Kirchner became increasingly distanced from Duhalde. Duhalde's wife, Hilda "Chiche" Duhalde, ran a heated campaign for the National Senate representing Buenos Aires, against Kirchner's wife, Cristina Kirchner, for the 23 October 2005 legislative elections. González was decisively defeated, which according to many political analysts marked the end of the Duhaldes' dominance over the province.

External links

*es icon [http://www.cidob.org/es/documentacion/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_del_sur/argentina/eduardo_duhalde Extended bio by CIDOB Foundation]