Radical Civic Union

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Unión Cívica Radical UCR - Radical Civic Union




Leader	Gerardo Morales

Founded	June 26, 1891
Headquarters	Buenos Aires, Argentina

Political ideology	Radicalism, Social liberalism, Social democracy, Centrism
International affiliation	Socialist International

Website	www.ucr.org.ar

Argentina
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Argentina

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The Radical Civic Union (in Spanish, Unión Cívica Radical, UCR) is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International.

The Unión Cívica Radical (UCR) is the oldest existing political party in Argentina. It was founded in 1891 by radical liberals and held power for 27 years. For many years the party was either in opposition to Peronist governments or illegal during military rule. ^[1]

The party was a spin-off of the Civic Union, which was led by Bartolomé Mitre and Leandro Alem The party unsuccessfully led an attempt to force the early departure of President Miguel Juárez Celman in the Revolution of the Park (Revolución del Parque). Eventually a compromise was reached with Juárez Celman's government. Hard-liners who opposed this agreement founded the current UCR, led by Alem's nephew, the young and charismatic Hipólito Yrigoyen. In 1893 and 1905 the party led unsuccessful revolutions to overtrow the government. With the introduction of free, fair and secret elections based on universal suffrage in 1912 the Party managed to win the general elections of 1916, when Hipólito Yrigoyen became president.

Between 1983 and 1989 its leader, Raúl Alfonsín, was the first democratically elected president after the military dictatorship headed by generals such as Jorge Videla, Leopoldo Galtieri and Reynaldo Bignone. Alfonsín was succeeded by Carlos Menem of the Peronist Justicialist Party (PJ).

In 1997 the UCR participated in elections in coalition with Front for a Country in Solidarity (FREPASO), itself an alliance of many smaller parties. This strategy brought Fernando de la Rúa to the presidency in the 1999 elections. During major riots triggered by economic reforms implemented by the UCR government (with the advice of the International Monetary Fund), President de la Rúa resigned and fled the country to prevent further turmoil. After three consecutive acting presidents assumed duties in the following weeks, Eduardo Duhalde of the PJ took office until new elections could be held.

After the 2001 legislative elections it became the second largest party in the federal Chamber of Deputies, winning 71 of 257 seats. It campaigned in an alliance with the smaller, more leftist FREPASO. The party has subsequently declined markedly and its candidate for President in 2003 gained just 2.34% of the vote, beaten by three Peronists and more seriously, by two former radicals, Ricardo López Murphy of Recrear and Elisa Carrió of ARI, who have leached members, support and profile from the UCR. In the 2005 legislative elections, the UCR was reduced to 35 deputies and 13 senators, but remains the second force in Argentine politics.

1 Current status
- 1.1 Provincial factions
2 Leaders of the UCR
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

[edit] Current status

The UCR is now riven by an internal dispute between those who support the broadly left-wing policies of Peronist President Néstor Kirchner, led by five provincial governors, and who also support Kirchner's re-election in 2007 (nicknamed Radicales K); those who want to back a candidate from another movement, most likely former Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna, supported by former president Raúl Alfonsín; and those who prefer a Radical candidate chosen by the party (Radicales R).

In May 2005, the National Committee of the UCR, then led by Ángel Rozas, intervened (suspended of authorities of) the Provincial Committee of the UCR in Tierra del Fuego Province after Radical governor Jorge Colazo spoke in favour of Kirchner's reelection. The intervention was rejected by the Provincial Committee. ^[2]

A party convention held in Rosario in August 2006 officially rejected the possibility of alliances with Kirchner's faction of Justicialism and granted former Party President Roberto Iglesias the permission to negotiate with other political forces. This led to several months of talks with Lavagna. ^[3]

The continued dissidence of the Radicales K prompted the intervention of the UCR Provincial Committee of Mendoza on 1 November 2006, due to the public support of President Kirchner by Mendoza's governor, the Radical Julio Cobos. The measure was short-lived, as the Mendoza Province Electoral Justice overturned it three days later. Deputy and UCR National Committee Secretary General Margarita Stolbizer stated that the party is virtually "broken due to the stance of the leaders who support the alliance [with Kirchner]". ^[4] ^[5]

Roberto Iglesias eventually resigned to the presidency of the party in November 2006 due to differences with Lavagna, having reached the conclusion that an alliance with him would be a mistake, and joined Stolbizer's camp, maintaining that the party should look for its own candidate. ^[6] On 1 December 2006 the National Committee appointed Jujuy Province Senator Gerardo Morales as its new president. Morales has stated he wants to follow the mandate of the Rosario convention (that is, looking for a possible alliance with Roberto Lavagna). ^[7]

[edit] Provincial factions

The UCR has become fragmented politically and geographically. Besides the interventions in Tierra del Fuego and Mendoza, already in September 2006 the party leaders had admitted that they reviewing requests of intervention against the provincial committees of Río Negro and Santiago del Estero.

In Santa Fe, the UCR has teamed up with the Socialist Party to support Socialist candidate for governor Hermes Binner, in exchange for the vice-governorship. Binner has ignored the candidate proposed by the UCR's leadership and is courting the UCR's bases and municipal governments. The UCR is currently debating whether to break the alliance or submit to the Socialists' requirements that the vice-governor be from Santa Fe City and (if possible) a woman. ^[8]

[edit] Leaders of the UCR

The Party is headed by a National Committee; its President is the de facto leader of the party. A national convention brings together representatives of the provincial parties and affiliated organisations such as Franja Morada and Radical Youth, and is itself represented on the National Committee.