A Tale of Tailings: The Origins of the Argentine Vice Presidency (original) (raw)

2021, Iberoamericana – Nordic Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Introduction Since Argentina's return to democracy in 1983, the vice presidency has been the protagonist of increasingly frequent and intense political conflicts. Through these conflicts, it has become a source of instability for the Executive. In other words, it has operated in a sense exactly opposite to that for which it was conceived-the guarantee of government stability. Originally the vice presidency was designed to remain in the shadows while the president occupies his position, and to ensure the stability and continuity of the Executive if the incumbent leaves it. On the contrary, the vice presidents of the new democracy have played roles of considerable prominence alongside the presidents, and have also failed too often to guarantee the stability and continuity of the government in the absence of the incumbents. To name only four examples, that was the case of Víctor Martínez, vice president with Raúl Alfonsín, who resigned along with the latter; of Carlos Álvarez, vice president with Fernando de la Rúa, who had resigned one year before the president did so too, leaving the vice presidency vacant; of Julio Cobos, who spent most of his period as vice president of Cristina Fernández in open conflict with the president, certainly not contributing any stability to the Executive; and of the very Cristina Fernández, who nominated herself as vice presidential candidate and appointed Alberto Fernández as running mate, turning the custom