Raúl Eduardo Baglini (23 December 1949 – 3 January 2021) was an Argentine politician and lawyer who served in both houses of the

National Congress of Argentina The National Congress of Argentina () is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameralism, bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Argentine Senate, Senate and a 257-seat Argentine Chamber of Deputie ...

, representing the

Radical Civic Union The Radical Civic Union (, UCR) is a major political party in Argentina. It has reached the national government on ten occasions, making it one of the most historically important parties in the country. Ideologically, the party has stood for r ...

Biography

Baglini received his law degree from the

National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba (), is a public university located in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of the Americas, with the first university being ...

. There, he began his membership in the Radical Civil Union, from the student group Franja Morada. He was a professor at the university and a member of the Faculty of Economical Sciences of the

National University of Cuyo The National University of Cuyo (, UNCuyo) is the largest center of higher education in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. As of 2005, the university had 12 academic schools in the city of Mendoza and a delegation in the city of San Rafael (pr ...

. In the 1983 elections, he was elected national deputy, with his party triumphing over

Peronism Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, P ...

. He held office until 1985, and was re-elected in 1989 and 1993. During his time in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

, he was identified as a strong supporter of President Raúl Alfonsín and a firm opponent of his successor,

Peronist Peronism, also known as justicialism, is an Argentine ideology and movement based on the ideas, doctrine and legacy of Juan Perón (1895–1974). It has been an influential movement in 20th- and 21st-century Argentine politics. Since 1946, Pe ...

Carlos Menem Carlos Saúl Menem (2 July 1930 – 14 February 2021) served as the 50th president of Argentina for ten years, from 1989 to 1999. He identified as Peronism, Peronist, serving as President of the Justicialist Party for 13 years (from 1990 to 200 ...

. He was head at the bench of his party, of the Budget and the Treasury Commission and was vice president of the chamber. He was president of the National Convention of the UCR. He was chosen as a candidate to govern Mendoza, but was defeated by

José Octavio Bordón José Octavio Bordón (born 22 December 1945) is an Argentine politician and diplomat. He was governor of Mendoza Province from 1987 to 1991, and served in both houses of the National Congress as a National Deputy and a National Senator. Most ...

, after countless debates in which both believed to be victors. During Menem's rule, he maintained relations with the postal businessman

Alfredo Yabrán Alfredo Enrique Nalib Yabrán (1 November 1944 – 20 May 1998) was a businessman in Argentina, with close links with the government, in particular with the administration of Carlos Saúl Menem. Yabrán killed himself while facing arrest for sus ...

, and was accused of complicity in his illegal business. After his time in the Chamber of the Deputies, he returned to being the legal profession, as head of a legal study and representative of the Federal Administration of Public Revenues against large evaders. In 2001, he was chosen as National Senator for his province. He participated in the Global Bond Exchange (known as the " Megacanje") of his country's external debt and supported the initiative of President Fernando de la Rúa. He excused himself from participating in the trial against Eduardo Moliné O'Connor, the Judge of the Supreme Court, since his study had conducted trials before the aforementioned one. After his passage through the Senate, he was an advisor to the UCR on economic matters. As of 2008, he collaborated with Vice President Julio Cobos in the reorganization of the Mendoza party. He abandoned most of his political work in 2010, after a stress spike landed him a lengthy visit to the hospital. Baglini died on 3 January 2021, aged 71.

Theorem

In a parliamentary debate prior to the 1989 elections, Baglini argued that politicians become more cautious in proposals the closer they are to power. Based on this concept, journalist

Horacio Verbitsky Horacio Verbitsky (born February 11, 1942) is an Argentine investigative journalist and author with a history as a leftist guerrilla in the Montoneros. In the early 1990s, he reported on a series corruption scandals in the administration of Pres ...

coined this statement ''Baglini's Theorem.'' The term quickly became popular in political circles.

References

1949 births 2021 deaths Radical Civic Union politicians Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Mendoza Members of the Argentine Senate for Mendoza National University of Córdoba alumni {{Authority control