Leandro Santoro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| National Deputy | |
| Assumed office 10 December 2021 | |
| Constituency | City of Buenos Aires |
| Legislator of the City of Buenos Aires | |
| In office 10 December 2017 – 10 December 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1976-06-11)11 June 1976 (age 48) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Political party | Radical Civic Union(1990–2015) National Alfonsinist Movement(2015–present) |
| Other political affiliations | Front for Victory(2015–2017) Unidad Ciudadana(2017–2019) Frente de Todos(2019–present) |
| Alma mater | University of Buenos Aires |
| Website | www.leandrosantoro.com |
Leandro Santoro (born 11 June 1976) is anArgentine political scientist, professor and politician, currently serving as aNational Deputy since 2021. Santoro previously served as a member of theBuenos Aires City Legislature from 2017 to 2021.
Though his political career began in theRadical Civic Union (UCR), since 2015 Santoro has been aligned with theNational Alfonsinist Movement, a faction of the UCR that broke away with the party and backed theFront for Victory. In the Chamber of Deputies, he sits in theFrente de Todosparliamentary bloc.
Santoro was born on 11 June 1976 in theBuenos Aires neighbourhood ofBoedo. He was raised by a single mother and attended the Colegio Salesiano San Francisco de Sales, a Catholic boys' school. Starting at age 13, he joined theRadical Civic Union (UCR) inspired by his admiration of then-presidentRaúl Alfonsín. In time, Santoro would become a leader in theJuventud Radical [es], the UCR's youth wing.[1]
In 1999, Santoro and other members of his local UCR committee camped outside theHospital Italiano, where Alfonsín had been hospitalised following a potentially lethal accident, for 40 days. The event helped forge a deeper connection between Alfonsín and Santoro. He formed part of Los Irrompibles, an alfonsinist group within the UCR founded by Jesús Rodríguez.[2]
Santoro studied political science at theUniversity of Buenos Aires, and later taught courses at the university's UBA XXI programme.[3]
Following Alfonsín's death in 2009, Santoro and other alfonsinists started getting closer to theFront for Victory, which then supported the government ofCristina Fernández de Kirchner. In 2014, upon Fernández de Kirchner's invitation, he formed part of the state delegation that visitedPope Francis in the Vatican.[4] In 2015, he joinedLeopoldo Moreau in breaking away from the UCR and founding the pro-KirchnerNational Alfonsinist Movement. That year, he wasMariano Recalde's running mate forChief of Government of Buenos Aires in the Front for Victory list: the ticket received 21.91% of the vote and landed third.[5]
In 2017, Santoro was elected to theBuenos Aires City Legislature as the fourth candidate in theUnidad Porteña list, which received 21.26% of the vote.[6] Following the2019 general election, he joined theFrente de Todos and sat in the unified FdTbloc in the Legislature.
In the2021 legislative election, Santoro ran for a seat in theChamber of Deputies as the first candidate in the Frente de Todos list in Buenos Aires. With 25.06% of the vote, the FDT was the second-most voted alliance in the city, enough for Santoro to make it past theD'Hondt cut and be elected, alongsideGisela Marziotta andCarlos Heller.[7] He was sworn in on 4 December 2021, and began his mandate on 10 December 2021.[8]
Santoro was married toCecilia Moreau, a fellow politician and daughter of the prominent political leader (and Santoro's former political mentor)Leopoldo Moreau.[2][5] Santoro and Moreau have a daughter together, Francisca.[9] Since 2021, Santoro has sat in the Chamber of Deputies alongside both Moreaus.
Santoro has since married a childhood friend, pharmacist Clara González Sorey with whom he has a daughter, Antonia.[9]
Sports-wise, he is a supporter of the local Boedo-basedSan Lorenzo de Almagro.[10]
| Election | Office | List | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | ||||||
| 2015 | Deputy Chief of Government of Buenos Aires | Front for Victory | 400,522 | 21.91% | 3rd | Not elected | [11] | |
| 2023 | Chief of Government of Buenos Aires | Union for the Homeland | 581,450 | 32.27% | 2nd | Not elected | [12] | |
| Election | Office | List | # | District | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | ||||||||
| 2017 | City Legislator | Unidad Porteña | 4 | City of Buenos Aires | 408,462 | 21.26% | 2nd[a] | Elected | [13] | |
| 2021 | National Deputy | Frente de Todos | 1 | City of Buenos Aires | 461,514 | 25.06% | 2nd[a] | Elected | [14] | |
