Mauricio Macri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mauricio Macri
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Official portrait, 2015
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| 57th President of Argentina | |
| In office 10 December 2015 – 10 December 2019 |
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| Vice President | Gabriela Michetti |
| Preceded by | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner |
| Succeeded by | Alberto Fernández |
| President pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations | |
| In office 17 April 2017 – 17 April 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Nicolás Maduro |
| Succeeded by | Evo Morales |
| 5th Chief of Government of Buenos Aires | |
| In office 10 December 2007 – 10 December 2015 |
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| Deputy | Gabriela Michetti María Eugenia Vidal |
| Preceded by | Jorge Telerman |
| Succeeded by | Horacio Rodríguez Larreta |
| National Deputy | |
| In office 10 December 2005 – 18 July 2007 |
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| Succeeded by | Julián Obiglio |
| Constituency | City of Buenos Aires |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 February 1959 Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Political party | Republican Proposal (PRO) (2008–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Commitment to Change (2003–2008) Juntos por el Cambio (2015–present) |
| Spouses |
Ivonne Bordeu
(m. 1981; div. 1991)Isabel Menditeguy
(m. 1994; div. 2005) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Alejandro Awada (brother-in-law) |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina Columbia University |
| Profession | Civil engineer |
| Signature |  |
Mauricio Macri (born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician. He served as the President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. Before becoming president, he was the Chief of Government of Buenos Aires (like a mayor) from 2007 to 2015. He also served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2005 to 2007. He leads the Republican Proposal (PRO) political party.
Macri was born in Tandil, Argentina. He studied to become a civil engineer at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. After working in business, he decided to enter politics. He was also the president of the famous football club Boca Juniors from 1994 to 2007, which helped him become well-known. In 2015, he was elected president of Argentina in a special second round of voting, which was a first for the country.
During his time as president, Macri focused on changing Argentina's economy and improving its relationships with other countries. He aimed to make the economy more open to the world. He also worked to improve Argentina's ties with countries like the United States and the European Union.
Contents
- Mauricio Macri's Early Life and Career
- Leading the Boca Juniors Football Club
- Mauricio Macri's First Steps in Politics
- Leading Buenos Aires as Mayor
- Becoming President of Argentina
- Mauricio Macri's Presidency
- Mauricio Macri's Personal Life
- Electoral History
- Honours and Awards
- Images for kids
- See also
Mauricio Macri's Early Life and Career
Macri was born in Tandil, a city in Buenos Aires Province. His father, Franco Macri, was a very successful businessman from Italy. His father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and lead the family businesses.
Macri went to Colegio Cardenal Newman for school. He later earned a degree in civil engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. He also studied business at other universities, including Columbia University.
He started his career working in his father's companies, including a construction company called SIDECO Americana. In 1992, he became the vice president of Sevel Argentina, a company that made Fiat and Peugeot cars. He became its president two years later.
Leading the Boca Juniors Football Club
Mauricio Macri became the chairman of the famous football club Boca Juniors in 1995. He won the club's internal elections with many votes.
His first few years were a bit tough, and the team didn't do very well. But he worked hard to improve things. He brought in new coaches and players, like Juan Román Riquelme, Martín Palermo, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Under his leadership, Boca Juniors started winning a lot!
During his time as president, Boca Juniors won 16 major titles. This made him the most successful president in the club's history, winning more football championships than anyone before him.
Mauricio Macri's First Steps in Politics
Macri started his political career in 2003. He created a new political party called Commitment to Change. He wanted to bring new ideas to politics after some difficult times in Argentina.
In 2003, he ran to become the mayor of Buenos Aires. He won the first round of voting but lost in the second round. In 2005, he joined another political group to form the Republican Proposal (PRO) party. He was then elected to the Argentine Chamber of Deputies, which is part of Argentina's parliament.
He ran for mayor of Buenos Aires again in 2007 and won! He was re-elected in 2011, serving two terms as mayor.
Leading Buenos Aires as Mayor
As mayor of Buenos Aires, Macri worked on several projects to improve the city.
Improving Public Transport
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One big project was the Metrobus, a system of special lanes for buses. This helped reduce traffic and made bus travel faster. By the end of his term, the Metrobus system had five lines.
The city also added many bikeways to encourage cycling. A bicycle-sharing program called EcoBici was also started.
To make traffic flow better, several railway crossings were replaced with tunnels. This helped cars and trains move more smoothly. Macri also started plans for a large project called the Red de Expresos Regionales to connect the city's main train lines with tunnels.
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Creating the Metropolitan Police
Buenos Aires became an independent city in 1994, but the national police still worked there. Macri wanted the city to have its own police force. In 2008, he proposed creating the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Police. This new police force started with about 1,000 officers and worked alongside the national police.
Supporting Same-Sex Marriage
In 2009, a gay couple in Buenos Aires wanted to get married. A judge ruled that they could, making it the first same-sex marriage in Argentina. Macri decided not to challenge this ruling. He believed that same-sex marriage was becoming more accepted and that people had a right to happiness. A national law allowing same-sex marriage was passed the next year.
Becoming President of Argentina
The 2015 Election
Mauricio Macri ran for president of Argentina in 2015. He formed a political group called Cambiemos (which means "Let's Change") with other parties. His running mate for vice-president was Gabriela Michetti.
In the first round of the election, Macri came in second place. This led to a second round of voting, called a "ballotage," against the first-place candidate, Daniel Scioli. This was the first time Argentina had a presidential ballotage.
Macri and Scioli had a debate before the second round. Macri focused on changing many of the policies of the previous government. On November 22, Macri won the ballotage election. His victory marked the end of 12 years of Kirchnerism in Argentina. Many people saw his win as a big change for the country.
The 2019 Election
In 2019, Macri ran for re-election as president. However, he lost to Alberto Fernández in the first round of the general election. This made him the first sitting president in Argentina to lose a bid for a second term.
Mauricio Macri's Presidency
| Presidential styles of Mauricio Macri |
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| Reference style | Excelentísimo Señor Presidente de la Nación (Most Excellent President of the Nation) |
| Spoken style | Presidente de la Nación (President of the Nation) |
| Alternative style | Señor Presidente (Mister President) |
Starting as President
Mauricio Macri officially became president on December 10, 2015. He took his oath of office at the National Congress of Argentina. Later, he went to the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace, and received the presidential sash. He spoke to the crowd, promising to always tell the truth and work for a better Argentina.
Economic Changes
When Macri became president, Argentina's economy faced many challenges. There was high inflation (prices going up quickly), and the country had been in a financial default since 2001.
One of his first actions was to remove controls on foreign money, allowing people to buy and sell different currencies more freely. He also reduced taxes on exports like corn and wheat to help farmers.
Macri wanted to fix Argentina's financial problems with international lenders. In 2016, Argentina reached an agreement to pay off old debts, which allowed the country to borrow money from international markets again.
In 2016, Macri attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This was important because Argentina had not participated in this global meeting for many years. He went there to encourage international investors to come to Argentina.
Despite these efforts, inflation remained a challenge during his presidency. In 2018, the economy worsened due to a drought affecting exports and global financial changes. Macri sought a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the economy.
Energy Policy Changes
For many years, prices for public services like electricity and gas were kept very low by the government. This meant the government paid a lot of money to keep prices down, but it also meant less investment in these services.
Macri's government decided to remove some of these government payments, which caused prices for utilities to increase. This was a controversial decision, but it aimed to encourage more investment in energy production.
He also signed a deal to encourage investment in Vaca Muerta, a large shale gas deposit in Patagonia. This was an effort to increase Argentina's energy production.
Foreign Relations
Macri changed Argentina's approach to foreign relations. He was critical of the government in Venezuela and called for democracy there. Argentina also worked to improve its relationships with the United States and other countries in Latin America.
He also worked to improve trade agreements, including trying to create a free trade agreement between Mercosur (a South American trade bloc) and the European Union.
Macri also changed Argentina's stance on conflicts in the Middle East. He ended a previous agreement with Iran regarding a 1994 terrorist attack in Argentina. He also improved relations with Israel.
Macri maintained Argentina's claim over the Falkland Islands but took a less confrontational approach with the United Kingdom.
Mauricio Macri's Personal Life
Mauricio Macri has been married three times and has four children. His current wife is businesswoman Juliana Awada. He is known for being a good bridge player and has even represented Argentina in international competitions.
Electoral History
Executive Elections
| Election | Office | List | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
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| Total | % | P. | ||||||
| 2003 1-R | Chief of Government of Buenos Aires | Commitment to Change | 660,748 | 37.55% | 2nd | → Round 2 | ||
| 2003 2-R | Commitment to Change | 807,385 | 46.52% | 2nd | Not elected | |||
| 2007 1-R | Republican Proposal | 798,292 | 45.76% | 1st | → Round 2 | |||
| 2007 2-R | Republican Proposal | 1,007,729 | 60.94% | 1st | Elected | |||
| 2011 1-R | Republican Proposal | 836,608 | 47.07% | 1st | → Round 2 | |||
| 2011 2-R | Republican Proposal | 1,090,389 | 64.27% | 1st | Elected | |||
| 2015 1-R | President of Argentina | Cambiemos | 8,601,131 | 34.15% | 2nd | → Round 2 | ||
| 2015 2-R | Cambiemos | 12,988,349 | 51.34% | 1st | Elected | |||
| 2019 | Juntos por el Cambio | 10,811,586 | 40.28% | 2nd | Not elected | |||
Legislative Elections
| Election | Office | List | # | District | Votes | Result | Ref. | |||
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| Total | % | P. | ||||||||
| 2005 | National Deputy | Republican Proposal | 1 | City of Buenos Aires | 611,178 | 34.09% | 1st | Elected | ||
Honours and Awards
Awards from Argentina
Argentina : Grand Master of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín- Argentina : Grand Master of the Order of May
Awards from Other Countries
Brazil: Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross
France: Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Italy: Grand Officer of Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity- Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Japan Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
Mexico: Grand Cross of the Order of the Aztec Eagle
Netherlands: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion
Norway: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
Spain: Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Images for kids
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Macri campaigning in Cordoba, in August 2015
See also
In Spanish: Mauricio Macri para niños
