José Jorge Alperovich (born 13 April 1955) is an Argentine politician who served as governor of Tucumán Province from 2003 to 2015. He was elected in 2003, and reelected in 2007 and 2011. He is married to Beatriz Rojkés de Alperovich, who served as National Senator and president of the Justicialist Party in his province. Alperovich himself was a National Senator for Tucumán from 2001 to 2008, and then from 2015 to 2021.
José Alperovich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| National Senator | |
| In office 10 December 2015 – 10 December 2021 | |
| Constituency | Tucumán |
| In office 10 December 2001 – 28 October 2008 | |
| Constituency | Tucumán |
| Governor of Tucumán | |
| In office 29 October 2003 – 29 October 2015 | |
| Lieutenant | Fernando Juri (2003-07) Juan Luis Manzur (2007-09) Sergio Mansilla (2009-11) Regino Amado (2011-15) Juan Luis Manzur (2015) |
| Preceded by | Julio Miranda |
| Succeeded by | Juan Luis Manzur |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 14, 1955 Banda del Río Salí, Tucumán, Argentina |
| Political party | Justicialist Party |
| Other political affiliations | Front for Victory (2003–2017) Frente de Todos (since 2019) |
| Spouse | Beatriz Rojkés de Alperovich |
| Alma mater | National University of Tucumán |
| Profession | Accountant |
On 18 June 2024, Alperovich was found guilty of rape and sexual assault, and sentenced to 16 years in prison.[1]
Biography
editEarly life and education
editAlperovich was born in Banda del Río Salí to Marta León, an Argentine Jew, and León Alperovich, a Lithuanian Jew from Lithuania whose parents had settled in one of the numerous Jewish agricultural colonies in Argentina. His father relocated to Tucumán Province and later established León Alperovich S.A., one of the most important auto dealerships in Tucumán.[2]
He enrolled at the University of Tucumán, graduated as an accountant, and married Beatriz Rojkés, with whom he had four children.[3]
Career
editHe worked as an accountant for several years, then began his political career in the provincial legislature in 1995. He served as chairman of the provincial Committee of Finance and Budget under Governor Antonio Bussi.
Alperovich was a member of the centrist Radical Civic Union until 1999, when Bussi failed to achieve re-election and the new Justicialist Party governor, Julio Miranda, appointed Alperovich to be Minister of Economy. Alperovich thereupon switched to the Justicialist Party. His appointment to the ministerial position was part of an agreement that was designed to maintain a channel of communications between the Justicialist Party and the Alliance government of Fernando de la Rúa. Alperovich was elected to the Senate amid the political crisis of 2001, and ran for governor of Tucumán Province in 2003.[4]
Some commentators had speculated that Alperovich would not be able to become governor if elected because of the provincial law that required him to give an oath on the Christian Bible. A constitutional crisis ensued; ultimately, Alperovich's challenge to the provincia law met with success in the Supreme Court, which amended Tucumán's Constitution to allow Alperovich to take the oath on the Hebrew Torah.[4]
Alperovich owns several houses and apartments, concessionaires, and many acres of soybeans and cattle. He has auto dealerships, sells truck and agricultural machinery, and is also active in hotel and commercial development and in construction and real estate. He owns several apartment buildings in San Miguel de Tucumán and over 120,000 hectares of land in Tucumán, Salta, and Santiago del Estero provinces.[5]
Governor of Tucumán Province
editDuring his early years as governor, Alperovich formed strong political ties with President Nestor Kirchner, who provided funds for various projects in the province that included a comprehensive public-works program. Consequently, Alperovich's tenure as governor has been marked by significant developments in health, education, and social services[6][7] and record public works funding for extensive public housing, highways, and other projects.[6][8][9]
He was re-elected governor in 2007 with more than 78% of the vote. In that year a law was passed limiting the number of gubernatorial terms to two, starting in 2007. In that year, he was reelected by a 73% margin over Ricardo Bussi, who ran on the right-wing Republican Force ticket,[10] He secured a constitutional amendment that would allow him to run for a third term, and in 2008 unsuccessfully proposed another amendment that would remove all gubernatorial term limits.[11]
Alperovich was able to run for a third term because his 2003–07 term did not count under the 2007 term-limits law, which limited governors of Tucumán to two terms, starting in 2007. He was the first governor in the modern history of Tucumán to be elected for a third time.[12][13]
His wife was elected Provisional President of the Argentine Senate in November 2011, and served in the post until February 2014.
Alperovich announced on January 15, 2014, that he would not seek a fourth term as governor, but “did not dismiss the possibility that his wife, Senator Beatriz Rojkés, would run to succeed him in 2015.”[14]
Sexual assault conviction
editHe was charged by the Public Prosecutor for the complaint of sexual abuse by his niece.[15]
He was found guilty of sexual offenses on 18 June 2024, and sentenced to 16 years in prison.[16]
References
edit- ^ "Argentina: Former Governor and Senator given 16 years for rape". MercoPress. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Murió León Alperovich, el padre del Gobernador de Tucumán". El Siglo. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013.
- ^ "La tucumana Beatriz de Alperovich está entre los 10 senadores más ricos". Contexto. Archived from the original on 30 April 2012.
- ^ a b "El juramento sobre la Torá". Página/12.
- ^ Lopez, Fabian (30 March 2015). "Los Alperovich no tienen 10 mansiones, pero sí una incalculable fortuna". La Nacion.
- ^ a b "Alperovich: Ha quedado atrás el Tucumán de los altos índices de desocupación". El Intransigente.
- ^ Clarín
- ^ "Alperovich supervisó obras en Villa 9 de Julio". LV7. Archived from the original on 29 December 2012.
- ^ "Alperovich: Lomas de Tafí es la obra más importante que se ha hecho en Sudamérica". LV7. 19 March 2012.
- ^ "Tucumán: Gobernador (2007)". Atlas Electoral de Andy Tow. Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ "Tucumán: Alperovich obtuvo la re-reelección". Xpuesto. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012.
- ^ Soltys, Michael (30 August 2011). "Tucumán man". Buenos Aires Herald.
- ^ "Tucumán: Gobernador (2011)". Atlas Electoral de Andy Tow. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
- ^ "Alperovich to leave in 2015". Buenos Aires Herald. 16 January 2014.
- ^ "Imputan a José Alperovich por la denuncia de abuso sexual de su sobrina". 4 December 2019.
- ^ "Ex-Tucumán governor Alperovich handed 16 years for rape, sexual assault". Buenos Aires Times. 19 June 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2024.