TheOlivos Pact (Spanish:Pacto de Olivos) refers to a series of documents signed on 17 November 1993, between the governingPresident ofArgentina,Carlos Menem, and former President and leader of the oppositionUCR,Raúl Alfonsín, that formed the basis of theconstitutional reform of 1994. These memoranda of understanding were signed in the official presidential residence, theQuinta de Olivos.
Raúl Alfonsín was the president of Argentina for theRadical Civic Union (UCR) from 1983 to 1989, and resigned during an economic crisis.Carlos Menem, from theJusticialist Party (PJ), was elected in 1989. TheConvertibility plan ended the economic crisis and increased his popularity, allowing the PJ to win the1991 and1993 midterm elections. The presidentialterm of office was of six years, with no reelection. Menem sought to change that with anamendment to theConstitution of Argentina. For this he would require asupermajority of two thirds of both houses of theArgentine Congress. Although that was a feasible option at theSenate, it was a remote possibility at theChamber of Deputies. Menem sought creative alternatives for that, such as alegal technicality that the requirement would be two thirds of the legislators present at the Congress during the session instead of two thirds of the complete body (and thus exploit circumstances where opposing legislators may be absent). Radical governors such asCarlos Maestro andHoracio Massaccesi commented that they would not oppose an amendment approved that way.[1]
Political agents of Menem and Alfonsín met in secret and negotiated some points. Both leaders met personally in secret, on November 4, 1993. Alfonsín accepted to instruct the radical legislators to support the amendment, and allow the presidential re-election for a single period. In exchange, the PJ agreed on a number of proposals by Alfonsín, to reduce the political clout of the president and the ruling political party. The presidential term of office was reduced to four years. The senate would be composed by two senators for the victor party at each province and one for the next party; instead of only a senator for the victor. The judges would be controlled by theCouncil of Magistracy of the Nation, a body that would include members of the opposition. The capital city ofBuenos Aires, afederal district with a mayor appointed by the president, would become anautonomous administrative division with its own elected mayor; as a traditional anti-Peronist district it was expected that such a mayor would be radical.[1]
Menem, however, did not accept a turn into asemi-presidential system or even into aparliamentary republic, as proposed by Alfonsín. The proposedprime minister office was demoted into theChief of the Cabinet of Ministers, a minister with higher political clout than the others, but still less than that of a prime minister. As apopulist leader, Menem refused to give up the political clout of the presidentialist system.[1] Menem also agreed to include aballotage system, but with complex conditions.[2]
Both parties gave their blessing to the pact. Congress approved it on December 29, 1993, and the executive power promulgated it the same day. This called for elections the following years, for members of the constituent assembly for the1994 amendment of the Constitution of Argentina. The contents of the pact were approved, and Menem ran and won the re-election in the1995 presidential election.[1]
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