Claudio Orlando Vidal (born 4 June 1980) is an Argentine trade unionist and politician currently serving as

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Santa Cruz Province Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

. From 2021 to 2023, he was a National Deputy elected to represent Santa Cruz. He belongs to the local Somos Energía para Renovar Santa Cruz ( SER Santa Cruz) party.

Early life and career

Vidal was born in

Comodoro Rivadavia Comodoro Rivadavia () is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the San ...

Chubut Province Chubut ( es, Provincia del Chubut, ; cy, Talaith Chubut) is a province in southern Argentina, situated between the 42nd parallel south (the border with Río Negro Province), the 46th parallel south (bordering Santa Cruz Province), the Andes ran ...

, but grew up in

Río Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, where he moved in his adolescence in search of job opportunities. He worked in the oil industry.

Political career

He first ran for a seat in the

Argentine Chamber of Deputies The Chamber of Deputies ( es, Cámara de Diputados de la Nación), officially the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Nation, is the lower house of the Argentine National Congress ( es, Congreso de la Nación). It is made up of 257 n ...

in the 2021 legislative election, as the first candidate in the "Somos Energía para Renovar Santa Cruz" ( en, "We are energy to renew Santa Cruz"). He was elected with 46,633 votes, his list placing second behind

Juntos por el Cambio ( en, Together for Change) is a centre-right political coalition in Argentina. It was created in 2015 as Cambiemos ( en, Let's Change), and renamed in 2019. It is composed of Republican Proposal, Radical Civic Union, Civic Coalition ARI and ...

with 28.25% of the vote.

Electoral history

Executive

Legislative

References

1980 births Living people Argentine trade unionists Governors of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Santa Cruz People from Comodoro Rivadavia 21st-century Argentine politicians {{Argentina-politician-stub