Isabel Perón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isabel Perón
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Perón in 1975
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| 41st President of Argentina | |
| In office 29 June 1974 – 24 March 1976 |
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| Vice President | Herself Vacant |
| Preceded by | Juan Perón |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Rafael Videla |
| 2nd President of the Justicialist Party | |
| In office 1 July 1974 – 21 February 1985 |
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| Preceded by | Juan Perón |
| Succeeded by | Antonio Cafiero |
| 29th Vice President of Argentina | |
| In office 12 October 1973 – 1 July 1974 |
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| President | Juan Perón |
| Preceded by | Vicente Solano Lima |
| Succeeded by | Víctor Hipólito Martínez (1983) |
| First Lady of Argentina | |
| In role 12 October 1973 – 1 July 1974 |
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| President | Juan Perón |
| Preceded by | Norma Beatriz López Rega |
| Succeeded by | Alicia Raquel Hartridge (1976) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
María Estela Martínez Cartas
4 February 1931 La Rioja, Argentina |
| Political party | Justicialist Party |
| Spouse | |
| Signature |  |
Isabel Martínez de Perón (born María Estela Martínez Cartas; 4 February 1931) is an Argentine politician. She served as the 41st president of Argentina from 1974 to 1976. She was one of the first women to lead a country as president.
Isabel Perón was the third wife of President Juan Perón. While her husband was president from 1973 to 1974, she was both the 29th vice president and first lady of Argentina. After her husband passed away in 1974, she became president.
She was president for almost two years. Then, the military took control of the government in 1976. Isabel Perón was kept under house arrest for five years. In 1981, she moved to Spain. When democracy returned to Argentina in 1983, she was a special guest at President Raúl Alfonsín's inauguration. She was also the leader of Juan Perón's Justicialist Party for several years.
Isabel Perón has not held an important political role since then. She is the oldest living former Argentine president since 2021.
Contents
Early Life and Career
María Estela Martínez Cartas was born in La Rioja, Argentina. Her parents were María Josefa Cartas Olguín and Carmelo Martínez. She left school after the fifth grade. In the early 1950s, she became a dancer and started using the name Isabel. This name was chosen from Saint Elizabeth of Portugal.
Meeting Juan Perón
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Isabel met her future husband, Juan Perón, when he was living in Panama. Juan Perón was much older than her. He had lost his second wife, Eva Perón (Evita), in 1952.
Perón moved to Madrid, Spain, in 1960, and Isabel went with him. They later married on 15 November 1961.
Starting in Politics
Juan Perón was not allowed to return to Argentina after being removed from power in 1955. So, Isabel helped him with politics from Spain. She traveled to Argentina for him.
During this time, she met José López Rega in 1965. He was a former policeman who was interested in fortune-telling. Isabel was also interested in these topics, and they became friends. Isabel convinced Perón to make López Rega his personal secretary.
Becoming Vice President
In 1973, Héctor José Cámpora was chosen by Perón's Justicialist Party to run for president. Cámpora won, but everyone knew that Juan Perón was still the real power.
Later that year, Perón returned to Argentina. Cámpora then resigned so Perón could run for president himself. Juan Perón chose Isabel as his running mate for Vice President. This helped bring together different groups within his party.
Juan Perón won the election in September 1973 with 62% of the votes. He started his third term on 12 October, with Isabel as Vice President. However, Perón was not in good health. Isabel had to step in as acting president several times during his term.
Presidency (1974–1976)
Juan Perón had several heart attacks and passed away on 1 July 1974. He had been president for less than a year in his third term. As vice president, his wife Isabel officially became president. She was the first woman in the world to hold the title of "President." People often called her La Presidente.
At first, many people supported Isabel Perón, even though she was not as charismatic as Juan Perón's second wife, Evita. She promised to continue her husband's policies. However, she canceled meetings with different groups, and the public's support soon faded.
Her government removed many left-leaning people from university jobs and government positions. She also used special powers to remove some governors. She signed laws that limited constitutional rights, saying it was to fight violence.
José López Rega, who was the Minister of Social Welfare, seemed to control many of Isabel Perón's policies. His public actions made people lose trust in the president.
During this time, there was increasing political violence from different groups. The government responded with strong measures.
In February 1975, a military campaign called Operation Independence began in Tucumán. This campaign was known for its harshness.
The government also started to target labor unions, which had been a strong support for Peronism.
López Rega also helped remove many skilled policy makers that Perón had from her husband's time as president. By May 1975, new people loyal to López Rega were in charge of the economy.
Isabel Perón tried to keep the economic plan her husband had started. However, prices began to rise quickly. Inflation went from 12% to 80% in a year.
In June, the new Economy Minister, Celestino Rodrigo, made big changes to the economy. These changes caused prices to double between May and August 1975. This led to widespread protests across Argentina, including a general strike. After these protests, José López Rega left the country and went into exile.
Losing Power
After López Rega left, Perón removed his supporters from the Economy Ministry and the military. She appointed General Jorge Videla to lead the Armed Forces.
Isabel Perón's health was not good. She took a leave of absence in September, and Ítalo Luder took over temporarily. Many hoped she would not return to power.
Political violence increased throughout 1975. More than 700 people died from political violence during her first 15 months in office.
To calm the public and the military, Isabel Perón signed new measures on 6 October. These measures gave the Armed Forces broad powers to "annihilate subversive elements." This helped her return to her position as president on 17 October.
However, her health remained fragile. She took another leave of absence in November. During this time, it was suggested that elections, planned for March 1977, should be held earlier in November 1976. This gave hope that a military takeover could be avoided.
Inflation continued to be a major problem. The economy also went into a recession. Business investment dropped, and the economy shrank.
The government's budget was in trouble, and foreign currency reserves were almost gone. This led to more price increases and shortages of goods.
On 18 December, General Jesús Capellini tried to start a military coup. However, the military leaders decided it was too early. On 23 December, a major attack by a guerrilla group on a military base failed. This marked the end of that group's violent campaign.
There were also accusations that Isabel Perón had taken money from a government charity. This caused her to lose support in Congress. Her government also faced more problems when key ministers resigned.
In early 1976, Isabel Perón made more policy changes to please the military. The Economy Minister was replaced, and new economic measures caused prices to more than double in three months. This led to more strikes and business shutdowns.
The opposition party started a process to remove the president from office in February. The media openly discussed the possibility of a military coup.
On 23 March 1976, after working late, Isabel Perón was alerted to unusual military movements. She boarded the presidential helicopter. It took her to an Air Force base, where she was officially removed from office and arrested.
Detention and Exile
Many government officials were arrested after the coup. Isabel Perón herself was held under house arrest for five years. In July 1981, she was sent to live in Spain.
She remained the official head of her husband's Justicialist Party until she resigned in February 1985. She chose not to run for president when elections were held in 1983. She lived in Madrid and kept in touch with Francisco Franco's family.
After democracy returned to Argentina, Isabel Perón was pardoned for some charges from her presidency. She returned to Argentina in December 1983 as a special guest at President Raúl Alfonsín's inauguration. She also returned in May 1984 to take part in political discussions. She supported cooperation between the labor unions and Alfonsín's government. She later resigned from her party leadership role.
She returned to Argentina in 1988 to deal with legal matters about the Perón family's property. After that, she went back to Spain and lived a quiet life. In 2024, she met with Vice President Victoria Villarruel to show national unity. She also unveiled a bust of Juan Perón in the Senate.
See also
In Spanish: María Estela Martínez de Perón para niños
- National Reorganisation Process
