- Rafael Bielsa
Rafael Antonio Bielsa (born
February 15 1953 ) is an ArgentineJusticialist Party politician fromRosario , province of Santa Fe. He is the brother of formerArgentina national football team coachMarcelo Bielsa ; both are well-knownNewell's Old Boys supporters. He is also the brother of architectMaría Eugenia Bielsa , vice-governor of Santa Fe 2003-2007.Bielsa spent his childhood in Morteros in Córdoba, the birthplace of his mother. He studied at the Faculty of Law of the
National University of Rosario and became a lawyer. He is also a poet, writer and essayist.In 1974 Bielsa started working at the Federal Tribunals of Rosario. In 1977, during the
Dirty War , suspected of being a member of theMontoneros radical guerrilla group, Bielsa was detained and taken to the "El Castillo" (also known as "El Fortín") illegal detention centre, where he spent two months of questioning andtorture . After a period inSpain , he returned to Argentina in 1980, and started working in different positions of the military government, mainly in the Ministry of Justice. [Terra, 11 October 2005. [http://www.terra.com.ar/canales/elecciones2005/124/124626.html Bielsa, de canciller a diputado] .] [Reportajes.org. [http://www.reportajes.org/2006/08/24/biografia-de-rafael-bielsa/ Biografía de Rafael Bielsa] .]Upon the return to
democracy in 1983, Bielsa worked in a Secretariat of the Ministry of Education in different functions, then in the 1990s at the Presidency and other specific international projects, and then as assessor at the Ministry of Justice, as well as other posts. He published several poetry books during the 1980s and 1990s. [Clarín, 31 May 2003. [http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/cultura/2003/05/31/u-567555.htm Hélas!, un poeta en la Cancillería] ]Bielsa was the
foreign minister of Argentina from25 May 2003 , when PresidentNéstor Kirchner took office, until6 December 2005 . At the 2005 legislative elections he won a seat in theArgentine Chamber of Deputies , representing the Autonomous City ofBuenos Aires . At the last moment (just before the inauguration ceremony), after a request by the President, he chose not to take office, instead accepting an appointment to becomeAmbassador inFrance ; however, the next day he retracted (citing moral qualms and the pressure from public opinion as the reason) and decided to occupy his legislative seat after all. Both decisions were heavily criticized by the opposition and political analysts in the media; the latter one was also qualified in harsh terms by government supporters themselves. Bielsa remained close to the President despite these problems. [Télam, 7 December 2005. [http://www.telam.com.ar/ing_112390.asp "Rafael Bielsa unexpectedly named Ambassador in France"] ] ["Página/12 ", 6 December 2005. [http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-60176-2005-12-07.html "Bielsa renunció a su banca y será embajador en Francia"] ("Bielsa gave up his seat and will be ambassador in France")] [La Nación, 7 December 2005. [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/762995 "Finalmente, Bielsa será diputado"] ("Finally, Bielsa will be a deputy")] [Mercopress, 7 December 2005. [http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=6880 "Bielsa dilemma: Paris, Congress, people, or K's fury?"] ] [La Nación, 9 December 2005. [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/763349 "Los kirchneristas hacen cola para criticar al ex canciller"] ("Kirchnerists line up to criticize the former chancellor")]He competed with fellow party member
Agustín Rossi in the primary elections held on1 July 2007 , and was elected candidate of the Justicialist Party for the governorship of Santa Fe by a wide margin. He lost the main election, on2 September , to the Socialist former mayor of RosarioHermes Binner . Bielsa received 38.8% of the vote. [La Capital, 1 July 2007. [http://www.lacapital.com.ar/2007/07/01/politica/noticia_400501.shtml "Irreversible: Rafael Bielsa es el candidato a gobernador del PJ"] .] [La Capital, 2 September 2007. [http://www.lacapital.com.ar/2007/09/02/politica/noticia_414320.shtml "Binner, primer gobernador socialista de la historia"] .] After acknowledging the defeat, he announced he would also be resigning from his post as deputy for Buenos Aires, which he did five days later. [La Capital, 7 September 2007. [http://www.lacapital.com.ar/2007/09/07/politica/noticia_415335.shtml " Bielsa renunció a su banca de diputado nacional "] .]References
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