Gerardo Zamora | |
|---|---|
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| Governor of Santiago del Estero | |
| Assumed office 10 December 2017 | |
| Vice Governor | José Emilio NederCarlos Silva Neder |
| Preceded by | Claudia Ledesma Abdala |
| In office 23 March 2005 – 10 December 2013 | |
| Vice Governor | Emilio Rached Blanca Porcel Ángel Niccolai |
| Preceded by | Pablo Lanusse |
| Succeeded by | Claudia Ledesma Abdala |
| First Gentleman ofSantiago del Estero | |
| In role 10 December 2013 – 10 December 2017 | |
| Governor | Claudia Ledesma Abdala |
| Preceded by | Claudia Ledesma Abdala(as First Lady) |
| Succeeded by | Claudia Ledesma Abdala(as First Lady) |
| Provisional President of the Senate | |
| In office 28 February 2014 – 3 December 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Beatriz Rojkés de Alperovich |
| Succeeded by | Federico Pinedo |
| National Senator | |
| In office 4 December 2013 – 29 November 2017 | |
| Constituency | Santiago del Estero |
| Mayor of Santiago del Estero | |
| In office 10 December 2001 – 10 December 2005 | |
| Preceded by | José Luis Zavalía |
| Succeeded by | Julio Alegre |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1964-01-06)6 January 1964 (age 61) |
| Political party | UCR(1984–2010) Independent(2010–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Civic Front for Santiago(2005–present) |
| Spouse | Claudia Ledesma Abdala |
| Alma mater | Catholic University of Santiago del Estero |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Gerardo Zamora (born 6 January 1964) is anArgentine politician[1] who has served asGovernor of Santiago del Estero since 2017, and previously from 2005 to 2013. He is a member of the centristRadical Civic Union (UCR).[2]
Born in rural Bowen,Mendoza Province, Zamora's family moved toSantiago del Estero in 1968. He later became a leader in student politics, serving as President of the UCR student chapterFranja Morada at theCatholic University of Santiago del Estero and as President of the UCR's youth wing for two terms. He became a lawyer and continued his political activities.[3]
Elected to the Provincial Legislature in Santiago del Estero in 1991, he served in the post until 1993, and was elected Mayor of the city ofSantiago del Estero in 1995. He became a provincial deputy once again in 1997 and served as President of the UCR caucus until 1999. In that year he was elected vice-mayor of Santiago del Estero and took over as Mayor in 2001 when the incumbent resigned. In 2003 he was elected Mayor of the city in his own right with 64% of the vote, serving until 2004.
Zamora has been a key UCR supporter ofPeronist PresidentsNéstor Kirchner andCristina Fernández de Kirchner (a'K' Radical, as UCR allies ofKirchnerism are known), and opposed leading UCR figures' plans to support an opposing candidate to the Kirchners in the2007 presidential elections. He was elected governor in 2005 on theCivic Front for Santiago ticket, with the support of some Peronists andSocialists as well as most Radicals (UCR) in the province.
From 2005 until 2007, Zamora's vice-governor wasEmilio Rached; Rached was elected to theArgentine Senate in 2007, and later broke ranks with the governor.[4] Zamora was re-elected governor in 2008 with 85% of the vote.[5] Governor Zamora sought an amendment to the provincial constitution that would enable a third consecutive term; the amendment was defeated in an October 22, 2013,Argentine Supreme Court ruling, however.[6] His alliance with Kirchnerists had by then led to his break with the UCR,[7] which opted to endorse former Vice GovernorEmilio Rached in aProgressive, Civic and Social Front ticket for the upcoming 2013 gubernatorial elections.[4] Zamora nominated his wife, Claudia Ledesma, as the Civic Front for Santiago candidate for governor and she defeated Rached by a 65-to-15% margin;[4][8] the outgoing governor was concurrently elected to the Argentine Senate.
In 2013, his ex-vicegovernor, Emilio Rached, declared that Zamora acts like the "Mafia"
Supported by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in a bid to broaden her support amongRadicales K, Zamora was electedProvisional President of the Argentine Senate with the support of Kirchner's majorityFront for Victory caucus; he took office on 28 February 2014.[9]
Zamora has married twice; he has one son from his first marriage, and two sons and a daughter from his second.[10] His current and second wife,Claudia Ledesma Abdala, has served as Governor of Santiago del Estero and as provisional president of the Senate as well.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Santiago del Estero 2001–2005 | Succeeded by Julio Alegre |
| Preceded by Pablo Lanusse | Governor of Santiago del Estero 2005–2013 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Provisional President of the Argentine Senate 2014–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Santiago del Estero 2015–present | Incumbent |