Institucionalización partidaria en el justicialismo: la corriente renovadora

Abstract

The article examines one of the most important attempts to institutionalize Peronism in the ‘80s. Peronism was always a charismatic party when Perón was still alive. But at the onset of democratisation in the ‘80s, a group of party members coming from the political branch, as governors and legislators, developed an internal faction which tried to reform and democratize the party. The new internal organization assumed power in the party at the end of 1987. Soon, two leaderships appeared: one led by Antonio Cafiero and the other one led by Carlos Saúl Menem. Although Menem was more conservative and populist, two characteristics which renovadores intended to remove from the new party elite, Menem won the primaries in 1988 and the Presidential election in 1989. The article, therefore, studies the development of this new group and gives some clues in order to recognize the accomplishments and the frustrations of the renovación.