Luis María Argaña
| Luis María Argaña | |
|---|---|
| Vice President of Paraguay | |
|
In office August 15, 1998 – March 23, 1999 |
|
| President | Raúl Cubas |
| Preceded by | Ángel Seifart |
| Succeeded by | Julio César Franco |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 3, 1932 Asunción, Paraguay |
| Died | March 23, 1999 (aged 66) Asunción |
| Political party | Colorado Party |
Luis María del Corazón de Jesús Dionisio Argaña Ferraro (October 3, 1932 in Asunción – March 23, 1999 in Asunción) was a prominent Paraguayan politician and Supreme Court judge. He was an influential member of the Colorado Party and rose to the Vice-Presidency in 1998, but was assassinated in March 1999 at a time when it appeared likely that he would inherit the presidency from Raúl Cubas, who was on the verge of being impeached. The incident and its aftermath is known in Paraguay as "Marzo Paraguayo" (the Paraguayan March). An airport in Paraguay, Dr. Luis María Argaña International Airport, is named for him.
Argaña graduated in law and social sciences from the Universidad Nacional de Asunción in 1958. He became a Professor at the University, and entered politics, becoming a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay. He also became a judge, and was President of the Supreme Court of Paraguay (1983 - 1988).
During 1989-1990 he served as Foreign Minister.
Argaña was a judge during Paraguay's long-lasting military dictatorship under Alfredo Stroessner. He has been accused of turning a blind eye to cases of torture and political killings. In recent years, former dissident Dr. Joel Holden Filártiga accused Argaña of blocking the screening in Paraguay of the 1991 TV movie One Man's War, depicting Filártiga's search for justice for the 1976 death of his son at the hands of Stroessner's secret police.
Luis Argaña served in a number of important national positions during previous administrations before running an ultimately unsuccessful bid for president in the country's Paraguayan general election, 1993, losing the Colorado Party primary. He tried again to obtain the party's presidential nomination for the 1998 election, losing in a bitterly contested primary election against General Lino Oviedo. Due to the General's involvement in a failed coup attempt in 1996, Oviedo was imprisoned before the 1998 general election. Oviedo's running mate, Raúl Cubas, replaced Oviedo on the Colorado Party ticket, but lacked the widespread support that Oviedo commanded. Luis Argaña was selected as Cubas' running mate, the pair subsequently being elected to office by a wide margin.
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