Horacio Usandizaga

{{Short description|Argentine politician (1940–2026)}} [[File:Horacio Usandizaga.JPG|thumb|Usandizaga in 1986]] '''Horacio Daniel Usandizaga''' (June 15, 1940 – January 4, 2026), also known informally as '''El Vasco''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]]: The [[Basque people|Basque]]), was an Argentine politician. He served as the first mayor of the city of [[Rosario]] following the restoration of democracy in the country in 1983.

==Life and career== Usandizaga was born in J.B. Molina, {{province|Santa Fe|Argentina}} on June 15, 1940. He studied to become a lawyer and entered political activity as a member of the [[Radical Civic Union]] (''UCR'') in 1961. He was first a councillor and then Mayor of Rosario from 11 December 1983 to 10 December 1987. He was re-elected for four more years but resigned and left office on 22 May 1989. A man of hot temper, Usandizaga had publicly promised that he would leave if [[Carlos Menem]] was elected [[President of Argentina|president]], as eventually happened. His term was completed by [[Héctor Cavallero]], of the [[Socialist Party (Argentina)|Socialist Party]].

He stood as candidate for Governor of Santa Fe in 1991, 1995 and 1999, but on all three occasions he failed to win, in part due to the [[electoral system]] in place at the time (the now-repealed [[Ley de Lemas]]). He was elected as the provincial representative (''Diputado'') in the National Congress in 1993, and was a member of the [[Argentine Senate]] from 29 November 1995 to 9 December 2001. He was re-elected, but at the end of 2002 he announced he would retire from active politics upon the partial renewal of the Upper House on 9 December 2003.

In 2007, he was elected as president of [[Rosario Central]], the club that he supported since childhood. He obtained 63% of the votes.

Usandizaga died from complications of multiple strokes on January 4, 2026, at the age of 85.<ref>{{cite news |title=Murió Horacio Usandizaga, histórico dirigente de la UCR y primer intendente de Rosario tras el regreso de la democracia |url=https://www.infobae.com/politica/2026/01/04/murio-horacio-usandizaga-historico-dirigente-de-la-ucr-y-primer-intendente-de-rosario-tras-el-regreso-de-la-democracia/ |access-date=4 January 2026 |publisher=Infobae |date=4 January 2026}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Sources== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20040803092425/http://www.rosario.gov.ar/sitio/gobierno/listadointend1.jsp?nivel=Gobierno&ult=G_6 Intendentes de Rosario] - Mayors of Rosario (in Spanish) on the website of the Municipality. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100311192218/http://www.senado.gov.ar/web/senadores/historico/provincia.php List of Argentine Senators] - historical records by province.

{{s-start}} {{succession box | title=Mayors of [[Rosario]]| before=[[Victor Cabanellas]] | after=[[Héctor Cavallero]] | years= 1983–1989}} {{s-end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Usandizaga, Horacio}} [[Category:1940 births]] [[Category:2026 deaths]] [[Category:Mayors of Rosario, Santa Fe]] [[Category:Politicians from Rosario, Santa Fe]] [[Category:Members of the Argentine Senate for Santa Fe]] [[Category:Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Santa Fe]] [[Category:Members of the Argentine Council of Magistracy]] [[Category:Radical Civic Union politicians]] [[Category:Argentine football chairmen and investors]] [[Category:Argentine people of Basque descent]]