Agustín Rossi
{{short description|Argentine politician (born 1959)}}
{{about|the politician|the footballer|Agustín Rossi (footballer)}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| name = Agustín Rossi
| nickname = Chivo
| image = Segunda edición del ciclo “Nos Mueve el Orgullo” (cropped).jpg
| caption = Rossi in 2023
| office = Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers
| president = Alberto Fernández
| term_start = 15 February 2023
| term_end = 10 December 2023
| predecessor = Juan Luis Manzur
| successor = Nicolás Posse
| office1 = Minister of Defense
| president1 = Alberto Fernández
| term_start1 = 10 December 2019
| term_end1 = 10 August 2021
| predecessor1 = Oscar Aguad
| successor1 = Jorge Taiana
| president2 = Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
| term_start2 = 3 June 2013
| term_end2 = 10 December 2015
| predecessor2 = Arturo Puricelli
| successor2 = Julio Martínez
| office3 = National Deputy
| term_start3 = 10 December 2017
| term_end3 = 10 December 2019
| constituency3 = Santa Fe
| term_start4 = 10 December 2005
| term_end4 = 3 June 2013
| constituency4 = Santa Fe
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|10|18|df=y}}
| birth_place = Vera, Santa Fe, Argentina
| profession = Civil engineer
| spouse = María Raquel Pezzelato
| children = 4
| party = Justicialist Party
| otherparty = Front for Victory (2003–2017)
Unidad Ciudadana (2017–2019)
Frente de Todos (2019–2023)
Union for the Homeland (since 2023)
| alma_mater = National University of Rosario
| footnotes =
}}
Agustín Oscar Rossi (born 18 October 1959) is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician. Rossi has held a number of important political posts throughout his career, most notably as Minister of Defense during the presidencies of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2013–2015) and Alberto Fernández (2019–2021).
Rossi was a National Deputy for his native Santa Fe, and served as leader of the Front for Victory parliamentary bloc in the lower house. Since 15 February 2023, Rossi has been Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers to the incumbent president Alberto Fernandez. He was the running mate of Sergio Massa in the 2023 Argentine general election, seeking the vice presidency as part of the Union for the Homeland coalition until Massa lost to Javier Milei in runoff.
Early life and education
Rossi was born in Vera, a small city in the north of Santa Fe Province, where he spent his early youth. He moved to Rosario when he was 17 years old, and graduated as a civil engineer at the National University of Rosario.
Political career
=Provincial career=
Rossi was a member of the Peronist University Youth in the 1970s, and joined the Justicialist Party in the 1980s. He was elected to the Rosario Deliberative Council in 1987, but returned to his private practice in the 1991. He returned to politics in 2001, was elected to the Deliberative Council in 2002, and presided said body from 2004 to 2005.
In the 2005 legislative elections he ran for a seat in the Lower House of Congress for the Front for Victory, the largest faction of the Justicialist Party, formed by supporters of President Néstor Kirchner. His campaign capitalized on, and was centered on gaining support for, the successful policies implemented by Kirchner on the national level; Rossi, who was not yet well known in the province, presented himself as "Kirchner's candidate."Clarín, 19 September 2005. [http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/09/19/elpais/p-00801.htm Santa Fe: esa pulseada clave que concentra la atención de Kirchner] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626000442/http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/09/19/elpais/p-00801.htm |date=26 June 2008 }}. The Front for Victory party list headed by Rossi came in second (with 33% of votes) after the Socialist Party list headed by Hermes Binner (43%).Atlas Electoral de Andy Tow. [http://www.towsa.com/andy/totalpais/santafe/2005d.html 2005 legislative elections, National Deputies, Santa Fe Province] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011110442/http://www.towsa.com/andy/totalpais/santafe/2005d.html |date=2007-10-11 }}.
=Congressional terms and Ministry of Defense=
He then became the head of the Front for Victory bloc in the lower house of Congress.Argentine Chamber of Deputies. [https://archive.today/20070927190813/http://www1.hcdn.gov.ar/diputados/diputado.asp?id=arossi Data on Agustín Rossi]. In that capacity, he took on the task of imposing party discipline while rallying legislative support of Kirchner's policies; he stated that "the bloc [belonging to the ruling party] has the fundamental role of being the legislative arm of the government. I cannot conceive a [government party] block that has doubts or criticism for the government's projects. Society tells us: 'I choose you to strengthen the course of action initiated by the President."La Nación, 29 January 2006. [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/775945 Agustín Rossi: "El oficialismo no puede ser crítico"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531173835/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/775945 |date=31 May 2011 }}. He also courted controversy with his rhetoric, notably in August 2010 when he described lawmakers who presented a bill that sought reverse a government decision to revoke an expired license for the Fibertel internet service provider, as "lawyers" for the Clarín Group (Fibertel's parent company); there have been ongoing controversies between Clarín and Kirchnerism since 2008 over a number of issues.{{cite web|url=http://noticias.terra.com.ar/rossi-critico-duramente-a-la-oposicion-por-su-intencion-de-revocar-la-licencia-de-fibertel,7d3350f19af9a210VgnVCM3000009af154d0RCRD.html|title=Rossi criticó duramente a la oposición por su intención de revocar la licencia de Fibertel|work=Terra Noticias|access-date=23 August 2010|archive-date=6 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706091333/http://noticias.terra.com.ar/rossi-critico-duramente-a-la-oposicion-por-su-intencion-de-revocar-la-licencia-de-fibertel,7d3350f19af9a210VgnVCM3000009af154d0RCRD.html|url-status=live}}
Rossi was a candidate in the FpV primary for the governorship of Santa Fe in the 2007 elections. His rival within the party was Rosario-born National Deputy and former Foreign Relations Minister Rafael Bielsa. The Mayor of Rafaela, Omar Perotti, campaigned for some time as well, but finally gave up and turned to support Bielsa. In the classical caudillist fashion that has prevailed in Argentina’s last century of politics, although some in the party, including Bielsa, would have rather negotiated on a consensus candidacy, Rossi insisted on conducting a primary election. Rossi also stated that he wanted Bielsa's sister María Eugenia (then vice-governor of Santa Fe), on his party list, though he instead chose Jorge Fernández, former Minister of Education during the governorship of Víctor Reviglio.RosarioNet, 3 August 2006. [http://www.rosarionet.com.ar/rnet/regionales/notas.vsp?nid=29009 Rossi y Bielsa podrían ir a internas en Santa Fe] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060815022445/http://www.rosarionet.com.ar/rnet/regionales/notas.vsp?nid=29009 |date=August 15, 2006 }}.Rosario/12, 10 October 2006. [http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/rosario/9-5680-2006-10-10.html "Yo voy a presentar lista"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312215230/http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/suplementos/rosario/9-5680-2006-10-10.html |date=12 March 2007 }}.Rosario3, 3 April 2007. [http://www.rosario3.com/noticias/noticias.aspx?idNot=10649 Listos y preparados, los precandidatos ya están en carrera] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928045805/http://www.rosario3.com/noticias/noticias.aspx?idNot=10649 |date=September 28, 2007 }}. Bielsa was eventually chosen as the party's candidate in primary elections on July 1, 2007, but subsequently lost the election to Socialist Hermes Binner.
Rossi continued in his role as Majority Leader of the Chamber of Deputies as head of the Front for Victory bloc, which retained a majority in the Chamber. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner nominated him to the post of Minister of Defense of Argentina on 30 May 2013.{{cite web|url=http://buenosairesherald.com/article/132360/cfk-shuffles-cabinet-taps-rossi-for-defence-puricelli-for-security|title=CFK shuffles Cabinet, taps Rossi for Defence, Puricelli for Security|work=Buenos Aires Herald|date=30 May 2013|access-date=31 May 2013|archive-date=9 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609205519/http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/132360/cfk-shuffles-cabinet-taps-rossi-for-defence-puricelli-for-security|url-status=live}}
Electoral history
=Executive=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|+ {{sronly|Electoral history of Agustín Rossi}} ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Election ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Office ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=2 rowspan=2 | List ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=3 | Votes ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Result ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | {{abbr|2=Reference|Ref}}. |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | Total
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | % ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}. |
|---|
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2007 (P)
| rowspan="2"| Governor of Santa Fe | style="background-color:{{party color|Front for Victory}};"| | 228,501 | 34.96%{{efn|name=fn2|Percentage out of the votes received by the party or front within which the primary was contested.}} | 2nd{{efn|name=fn3|Out of the lists contesting the primary.}} | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2011
| style="background-color:{{party color|Front for Victory}};"| | 388,231 | 22.76% | 3rd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2023 1-R
| rowspan="2"| Vice President of Argentina | style="background-color:{{party color|Union for the Homeland}};"| | rowspan="2"| Union for the Homeland | 9,853,492 | 36.78% | 1st | → Round 2 | rowspan="2"| |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2023 2-R
| style="background-color:{{party color|Union for the Homeland}};"| | 11,384,014 | 44.25% | 2nd | {{no2|Not elected}} |
{{notelist}}
=Legislative=
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|+ {{sronly|Electoral history of Agustín Rossi}} ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Election ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Office ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=2 rowspan=2 | List ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | {{abbr|2=List number|#}} ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | District ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" colspan=3 | Votes ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | Result ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" rowspan=2 | {{abbr|2=Reference|Ref}}. |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | Total
! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | % ! style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | {{abbr|2=Position|P}}. |
|---|
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2005
| rowspan="2" | National Deputy | style="background-color:{{party color|Front for Victory}};"| | 1 | 489,584 | 33.28% | 2nd{{efn|name=fn1|Presented on an electoral list. The data shown represents the share of the vote the entire party/alliance received in that constituency.}} | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2009
| style="background-color:{{party color|Front for Victory}};"| | 1 | 162,615 | 9.63% | 3rd{{efn|name=fn1}} | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2015
| style="background-color:{{party color|Front for Victory}};"| | 3 | National list | 8,922,609 | 37.46% | 1st{{efn|name=fn1}} | {{yes2|Elected}} |
| style="background-color:#EAECF0;" | 2017
| style="background-color:{{party color|Justicialist Party}};"| | 1 | 509,190 | 25.90% | 2nd{{efn|name=fn1}} | {{yes2|Elected}} |
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons}}
- [https://www.argentina.gob.ar/defensa Official website of the Ministry of Defense] (in Spanish)
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Category:People from Vera Department
Category:Argentine people of Italian descent
Category:National University of Rosario alumni
Category:Argentine civil engineers
Category:Justicialist Party politicians
Category:Fernández de Kirchner administration cabinet members
Category:Alberto Fernández administration cabinet members
Category:Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Santa Fe
Category:Defense ministers of Argentina
Category:Chiefs of Cabinet of Ministers of Argentina
Category:Argentine deputies 2005–2007
Category:Argentine deputies 2007–2009
Category:Argentine deputies 2009–2011