Importance of Alfonsín's Democracy

The presidency of Raúl Alfonsín (1983-1989) meant not only the restoration of the democratic system in Argentina after the bloody military dictatorship headed by the Videla-Massera-Agosti trident, but also represented the punishment of all the military and public officials involved in state terrorism and the violation of human rights which was exercised deliberately and brutally while it lasted (1976-1983).

democratic icon

Both the first years of his management and his figure were forever associated with the claim of the democracy, justice, and the defense of human rights.

From the very moment of his inauguration, on December 10, 1983, he became the symbol of democracy.

Everything is possible with democracy

His first speeches as his president left no doubts about the character of a democratic father that he earned, such as when he affirmed before a crowd: «With the Democracy is eaten, democracy is educated, democracy is cured, we don't need anything else, stop bossing us around, stop managing our financial homeland, that the aggressive, totalitarian, unscrupulous minorities stop managing us, who, due to lack of votes, seek the boots to manage the people Argentinian…"

He was elected by the will of his people, who urgently wanted to leave behind seven years of dark and extremely violent military dictatorship that left as a disastrous result: opponents disappeared, clandestine detention centers where political prisoners were tortured, appropriation of children born in captivity, the Malvinas war, among others events.

Recover governance, the rule of law and punishment of genocidal

With the objective of recovering the institutions, strengthening the republican and federal system, guaranteeing the freedom of expression, and that all Argentine citizens enjoyed justice is that he deployed a series of forceful measures to punish military excess.

He repealed the self-administration that the military took care of legalizing before leaving power, he created the National Commission for the Disappearance of Persons (CONADEP) that was exclusively in charge of carrying out a registry of victims and disappeared persons and was made up of prestigious intellectuals, journalists, writers, among others, and promoted the trial of the military junta and all those responsible for crimes of It hurts humanity.

He promised to do justice... and justice was done

The result of the trial was considered in the country and the world as an unprecedented and historical milestone for the region: all the military leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment.

One day before Alfonsín's two years in office, on December 9, 1985, those responsible for the three military juntas that illegally occupied power between 1976 and 1983 for their very serious violations of human rights humans.

The aforementioned CONADEP report that was compiled in the famous book Nunca, más (never again a dictatorship), was decisive in the ruling damning since it brought together some 9,000 testimonies with denunciations of devious attacks on individual rights by the military.

A management marked by dialogue and the defense of freedom

In addition to the professional conditions that he had as a political leader of the Radical Civic Union (UCR), endorsed by his long experience in the Argentine political milieu, he was a tireless promoter and protector of democratic values, even within his own management, when episodes unfortunate how the carapintadas attacks threatened its democratic continuity, he himself put his voice and body to defend it at the price that be.

On the other hand, these new airs of defense at all costs of freedom and peace reached other orders of civil life and the policy: the divorce law was enacted (1987), the shared parental authority law was reestablished (1985), and a friendly treaty was sealed between Chile and Argentina (1984) due to differences over the sovereignty of the Beagle that almost led both nations to resolve the issue by armed means.

Although he honorably and effectively fulfilled the role of guardian of democracy, to which he devoted all his his efforts, he was unable to counteract the critical economic situation that he inherited and which worsened over the years. the years.

He handed over power early to his successor from the Justicialista Party (PJ) Carlos Menem to prevent the escalation hyperinflation, and other political and social problems, spoil the governability that cost so much get.