Gerardo Zamora

Who is Gerardo Zamora?

Gerardo Zamora is an Argentine politician from Santiago del Estero Province. Governor of Santiago del Estero since 2005, he is a member of the centrist Radical Civic Union.

Born in rural Bowen, Mendoza Province, Zamora was a leading student politician, serving as President of the UCR student chapter Franja Morada at the Catholic University of Santiago del Estero and as President of the UCR youth wing for two terms. He became a lawyer and continued his political activities. Zamora married twice; he has one son from his first marriage, and two sons and a daughter from his second.

Elected to the Provincial Legislature in Santiago del Estero in 1991, he served in the post until 1993, and was elected Mayor of the city of Santiago del Estero in 1995. He became a provincial deputy once again in 1997 and served as President of the UCR caucus until 1999. In that year he was elected vice-mayor of Santiago del Estero and took over as Mayor in 2001 when the incumbent resigned. In 2003 he was elected Mayor of the city in his own right with 64% of the vote, serving until 2004.

Zamora has been a key UCR supporter of Peronist Presidents Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and opposed leading UCR figures' plans to support an opposing candidate to the Kirchners in the 2007 presidential elections. He was elected governor in 2005 on the Civic Front for Santiago ticket, with the support of some Peronists and Socialists as well as most Radicals in the province.