Hugo Cóccaro

Who is Hugo Cóccaro?

Hugo Omar Cóccaro is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician, former governor of Tierra del Fuego Province.

Born in Saladillo, Buenos Aires Province, Cóccaro relocated to Tierra del Fuego at age 20 with his brother, with whom he started a construction firm. He later purchased the San Justo Estancia, a lenga beech sawmill near Río Grande. He had four daughters, and his marriage ended in separation.

Cóccaro entered politics in 2003, when he was elected vice-governor under Governor Jorge Colazo of the Radical Civic Union. He fell out with Colazo, however, and there were public rows between them. He became acting governor of Tierra del Fuego on October 25, 2005, when Colazo was suspended, and was confirmed in the post on December 2.

His tenure was marked for its failed support for RENASA, a provincial petroleum concern, and a subsequent impeachment attempt. Cóccaro ran for reelection in 2007, and won the first round; but he was defeated in the runoff by Fabiana Ríos, the first woman to be elected governor in the history of Argentina.