Alfredo Avelín

Who was Alfredo Avelín?

Alfredo Avelín was an Argentine politician, physician and author. He served as Governor of his province of San Juan and as a member of the Argentine Senate and Chamber of Deputies.

Avelín was born in San Juan Province to parents of Lebanese descent. He earned a medical degree at the University of Córdoba, and later founded the Colegio Médico de la Provincia. Entering politics, he founded the Renewal Crusade party. He became Mayor of the provincial capital, San Juan, in 1958, and at the age of 31.

He was ultimately elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies in 1989, and to the Argentine Senate, in 1992.

On 16 May 1999, Avelín was elected as governor of his province with 55%, heading the list of the Alliance for Work, Justice and Education, which would win the presidency of Argentina later the same year. He defeated the incumbent Governor, Jorge Escobar. His period in office was marked by economic turbulence and public unrest in San Juan, not unlike the country as a whole; by 2001, provincial employees were not being paid, and the province was insolvent.