Atilio Benedetti

Atilio Benedetti
Sesión 13-06-2018 Diputado BENEDETTI ATILIO.jpg
National Deputy
In office
10 December 2017 – 10 December 2021
ConstituencyEntre Ríos
In office
10 December 2009 – 10 December 2013
ConstituencyEntre Ríos
Mayor of Larroque
In office
10 December 1995 – 10 December 1999
Personal details
Born (1955-01-01) 1 January 1955 (age 69)
Larroque, Argentina
Political partyRadical Civic Union
Other political
affiliations		Social and Civic Agreement (2009–2013)
Juntos por el Cambio (2015–present)
Alma materNational University of Entre Ríos

Atilio Francisco Salvador Benedetti (born 1 January 1955) is an Argentine bromatologist, businessman and politician. A member of the Radical Civic Union, Benedetti served as intendente (mayor) of his hometown of Larroque from 1995 to 1999, and as a member of the board of directors of the Banco Nación from 2015 to 2017. Later, from 2017 to 2021, he served as a National Deputy.

Business-wise, Benedetti presides Tierra Greda S.A. and served as chairman of the Entre Ríos Stock Exchange. With a net worth of US$5.5 million (as of 2020), Benedetti was wealthiest member of the Argentine Congress during his tenure.[1]

Early and personal life

Benedetti was born on 1 January 1955 in Larroque, a small city in Southern Entre Ríos. He studied bromatology (food science) at the National University of Entre Ríos, graduating in 1978. Benedetti is married to María Cristina Cháves, and has three children.[2]

Career

Benedetti's political career began in the Juventud Radical, the youth wing of the Radical Civic Union (UCR).[3] In 1983, following the return of democracy to Argentina, he was elected to the City Council of Larroque. In 1995, he was elected to the mayoralty of the city.[4] Benedetti has also served in a number of posts within the Radical Civic Union, most notably as member of the Provincial Committee of Entre Ríos (from 2000 to 2002) and as president of the Entre Ríos Provincial Congress from 2006 to 2008.[2]

National Deputy

Benedetti rose to prominence during the 2008 agrarian strike. As a major stakeholder in agrarian businesses, Benedetti positioned himself as a staunch opponent of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's proposed raise on tariffs for agricultural products.[5] Following the conflict, Benedetti ran for one of Entre Ríos' seats in the Chamber of Deputies, heading the Social and Civic Agreement list.[6][7] The list was the most voted in Entre Ríos, with 35.01% of the vote, and Benedetti was easily elected. He was sworn in on 4 December 2009.[8] He was one of the 11 so-called "agro-deputies" elected in 2009.[9][10] He did not run for re-election in 2013.[10]

Benedetti ran for a second term in the 2017 legislative election, this time heading the Cambiemos list. The list was the most voted in the province, with 53.02% of the vote, and Benedetti was elected.[11][12]

In 2010, as a national deputy, Benedetti voted against the Equal Marriage Law, which legalised same-sex marriage in Argentina.[13] He was a supporter of the legalisation of abortion in Argentina, voting in favour of the two Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy bills that were debated by the Argentine Congress in 2018 and 2020.[14][15]

Ahead of the 2021 primary election, Benedetti was confirmed as one of the candidates in the "Juntos" list in Entre Ríos.[16] He was the fifth candidate in the JxC list that competed in the general election, and he was not re-elected.

2019 gubernatorial run

Benedetti ran for the governorship of Entre Ríos in the 2019 provincial election; he was Cambiemos's candidate, with deputy Gustavo Hein as his running mate.[17] The Benedetti–Hein ticket received 35.57% of the vote, losing to incumbent governor Gustavo Bordet of the Justicialist Party, who received 57.43% of the vote.[18]

References

  1. ^ Fitz Patrick, Mariel; Crucianelli, Sandra (12 October 2020). "Quiénes son los 5 diputados nacionales con mayor patrimonio". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Atilio Francisco Salvador Benedetti". Directorio Legislativo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Atilio Francisco Salvador Benedetti". HCDN (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 August 2021.
  4. ^ Malvasio, Federico. "La Bolsa o la gobernación". Letra P (in Spanish).
  5. ^ "Atilio Benedetti, el favorito de Frigerio en una interna de tres listas". Letra P (in Spanish). 7 July 2017. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Principales candidatos para las listas de junio en elecciones legislativas". Ámbito (in Spanish). 10 May 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Los principales candidatos en cada una de las provincias". Infobae (in Spanish). 28 June 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Juraron los 127 diputados electos, entre ellos nueve cordobeses". La Voz (in Spanish). 4 December 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Los agrodiputados pelean espacios clave". La Nación (in Spanish). 8 December 2009. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Sólo quedarán 2 "agrodiputados" de los 11 que entraron en 2009". InfoCampo (in Spanish). 29 October 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Resultados de las elecciones 2017, provincia por provincia". Clarín (in Spanish). 23 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  12. ^ "Cómo quedará conformado el Congreso a partir del 10 de diciembre". Primera Fuente (in Spanish). 30 October 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  13. ^ "¿Cómo votaron los legisladores cuando se sancionó la Ley de Matrimonio Igualitario?". Noticias Argentinas (in Spanish). 14 July 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  14. ^ Serra, Laura (14 June 2018). "Uno por uno, cómo votó cada diputado el proyecto de legalización del aborto". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Legalización del aborto: cómo votó cada diputado y cada bloque". Perfil (in Spanish). 11 December 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  16. ^ "Benedetti habló de Frigerio, la interna y el 2023". Página Política (in Spanish). 17 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  17. ^ ""No queremos volver al pasado de la 125, ni de 678, ni al cepo, ni a las mafias", aseguró Bullrich". Télam (in Spanish). 6 June 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Bordet es el gobernador más votado desde la vuelta de la democracia". Diario Victoria (in Spanish). 11 June 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2021.