José Manuel de la Sota

José Manuel de la Sota ( born November 28, 1949 in Córdoba) is an Argentine politician of the Partido Justicialista (PJ). He's since December 2011 Governor of the province of Córdoba; he has also held the office between 1999 and 2007.

Life

Early political activities

De la Sota studied law at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. As a young lawyer, he devoted himself particularly defending political prisoners who were detained during the ban on Peronist Party 1955-1972 because of their Peronist ideology. Between 1973 and the military coup in 1976, he was secretary of the mayor of Córdoba.

Renewal movement and electoral defeats

After democracy was restored in 1983, De la Sota was a candidate for the office of Mayor of Córdoba, but failed against Ramón Bautista Mestre ( UCR). In 1985 he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress. During this time, the PJ split; De la Sota joined the wing of the innovator ( Renovación Peronista ), which cooperated with the Christian Democratic Party and temporarily displaced the traditionalists. In 1987 he stood as a candidate for this alliance for the office of governor of Córdoba. He failed narrowly against Eduardo Angeloz ( UCR).

With the presidential election in 1989 and the takeover of Carlos Menem, who belonged to none of the wing but had been supported by many traditionalists, the Peronist movement disintegrated renewal, when several of its leading members put behind Menem. De la Sota was indeed re-elected for the PJ to the House of Representatives, but in 1990 took up the post of ambassador in Brazil. In 1991, he failed again in the election for governor of Córdoba, again against Angeloz. He received because of the renewed failure in an election the leg imitate Perpetual loser and compared in a later became famous response to the defeat with Abraham Lincoln, who had lost several elections also prior to taking office. Between 1995 and 1999, De la Sota was a senator in the Argentine Congress.

Governor of Córdoba

On December 20, 1998 De la Sota won the election for governor of Córdoba, with almost 50 % of the vote and struck Ramón Bautista Mestre ( UCR), against whom he had in 1983 drawn the short straw. His lieutenant governor Germán Kammerath ( UCeDe ) announced the post a year later and was elected mayor of the city of Córdoba.

In 2003 he obtained the re-election as governor of Córdoba, at 51.6 %. As of 2002, there was a dispute with the PJ politician Luis Juez, which had been used by him as an anti- corruption lawyer and persons in De la Sota's government accused and his personal environment of corruption. De la Sota dismissed then Juez. This then formed the Partido Nuevo Regional and distinguished himself as mayor of the city of Córdoba to temporarily main opposition leader against the government of PJ under De la Sota.

To the next gubernatorial election in 2007 De la Sota was unable to start because of the restriction to two terms in succession. The Lieutenant Governor from 2003, Juan Schiaretti, the election narrowly won against Luis Juez, who then tried to challenge the election results unsuccessful. Between 2007 and 2011, De la Sota was again ambassador of Argentina in Brazil.

In 2011 he was again elected governor of Córdoba, this time with 42 % of votes. His adversary Juez slipped in favor of the voters and received 29 %.