Antonio de la Rúa | |
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Antonio de la Rúa in 2009
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Born |
Antonio de la Rúa Pertiné March 7, 1974 Córdoba, Argentina |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Partner(s) | Shakira (2000–2010) |
Antonio de la Rúa (born March 7, 1974, in Córdoba, Argentina), is the eldest son of former Argentine president, Fernando de la Rúa (who governed Argentina from 1999 to 2001) and Inés Pertiné. He was an advisor to his father during his father's presidency and one of the heads of his father’s presidential campaign.
Though he held no formal position in his father's government, he was the chief architect of his father's election campaign; his success led his father to continue to turn to him for political advice after his ascension to the presidency. He was pointed to as the leader of the "Sushi set" (El grupo sushi), a group of young officials so-called due to their alleged preference for expensive Japanese cuisine; they were sometimes criticised for their influence on politics. After the collapse of the de la Rúa presidency, Antonio focused his energies on philanthropy and distanced himself from politics, thus marking the end of the influence of the "Sushi Group".
Antonio, who is a lawyer, was paparazzi fodder since his father arrived at La Casa Rosada. In 2000, he started dating singer Shakira, in a romance that made headline news all over Latin America. He and Shakira have been seen together at many important events, including visiting with Dominican Republic former president Hipólito Mejía and U.S. President Barack Obama. Antonio de la Rua had a key role in negotiating Shakira’s contract with Live Nation, placing her among the most select group of artists including Madonna, U2 and Jay-Z. The contract, signed with the largest event producer in the world for 10 years, is worth between $70 and 100 million dollars.