Death and state funeral of Raúl Alfonsín
People during the funeral of Alfonsín, at the Argentine Congress
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| Date | March 31, 2009 |
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| Duration | 3 days |
| Venue | Palace of the Argentine National Congress, La Recoleta Cemetery |
| Location | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Type | State funeral |
| Burial | Raúl Alfonsín |
Raúl Alfonsín was the president of Argentina from 1983 to 1989. He died on March 31, 2009, aged 82. He had lung cancer and died at his home; a massive candlelight vigil took place in the vicinity of it. Vice president Julio Cobos, the acting president at the time, arranged three days of national mourning and a state funeral at the Palace of the Argentine National Congress. Alfonsín was seen by 40,000 people and the senior politicians of the country; people from other countries also voiced their respect for him. A military escort took his coffin to the La Recoleta Cemetery, and left him at the pantheon for the veterans of the Revolution of the Park.
Alfonsín had lung cancer for almost a year before his death, which led to pneumonia. His medic Alejandro Sandler explained that his health had worsened at several points, which were followed by brief recoveries. In his last days he was visited by vice president Julio Cobos and monsignor Justo Laguna, who gave him the Anointing of the Sick. He received home care, as Sandler preferred him to stay with his family. The president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was out of the country and phoned several times; Ricardo Alfonsín called her at 17:00 and informed her of his father's health. He died on March 31, 2009, at 20:30; Sandler announced it at 21:03. Alfonsín was sleeping at the moment, next to his family. Cobos was the first politician to arrive at his home.
When the first news of the death of Alfonsín were released, the vicinity of his house at the Santa Fe avenue was filled by hundreds of people, who started a Candlelight vigil. The multitude included friends, neighbors and political supporters. The politicians Felipe Solá and Ricardo Gil Lavedra attended the meeting as well. The balconies of nearby houses were filled with flowers and banners.
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