De La Rúa, Fernando (1937– )

Argentine politician who became president in December 1999 as the candidate of the centre-left Alianza (in English Alliance) coalition, ending ten years of Peronist rule. Under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he pushed through a programme of public spending cuts and tax rises to reduce the budget deficit, which was unpopular with a country in the grip of economic recession. He also pledged to crack down on corruption, although lacking a majority in the Argentine Congress, he sought to rule by consensus. He resigned in December 2001 after his failure to stem the economic crisis.

De la Rúa first became politically active as a member of the Unión Civica Radical (UCR; in English the Radical Civic Union). His political career began as an advisor in the Interior ministry 1963–66. He was elected to serve in the Argentine Senate 1973–76, 1983–89, and 1992–96, and in the Chamber of Deputies 1991–92. Between 1996 and 1999 he served as mayor of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.