{{Short description|Argentine politician}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Roberto Basualdo | image = RobertoGustavoBasualdo.jpg | office = [[Argentine Senate|National Senator]] | constituency = [[San Juan Province, Argentina|San Juan]] | party = [[Production and Labour]] (since 2015)<br />[[Justicialist Party]] (until 2015) | term_start = 10 December 2005 | term_end = 10 December 2023 | preceded = | succeeded = | office2 = [[Argentine Chamber of Deputies|National Deputy]] | constituency2 = [[San Juan Province, Argentina|San Juan]] | term_start2 = 2001 | term_end2 = 2005 | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | profession = Businessman | website = }} '''Roberto Gustavo Basualdo''' (b. 1957<ref name= blog>[http://weblogs.clarin.com/elecciones-2007/archives/2007/08/san-juan-3-entrega-el-domingo-llego-la-hora-de-elegir-gobernador-aqui-las-listas-y-los-perfiles.html A cuatro días, todos los candidatos en San Juan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080320035225/http://weblogs.clarin.com/elecciones-2007/archives/2007/08/san-juan-3-entrega-el-domingo-llego-la-hora-de-elegir-gobernador-aqui-las-listas-y-los-perfiles.html |date=2008-03-20 }}, ''[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]]'', 2007. Accessed 9 June 2008.</ref>) is an [[Argentina|Argentine]] politician, formerly of the [[Justicialist Party]] (PJ), now in [[Cambiemos]]. He sat in the [[Argentine Senate]] representing [[San Juan Province (Argentina)]] for the [[Production and Labour]] party from 2005 to 2023.
In 1976, Basualdo began a motor racing career, competing in the [[Cuyo (Argentina)|Cuyo]] district and gaining five championships.<ref name= blog /> In 1990 he and his father started a company, [http://www.robertobasualdosa.com.ar/ Roberto Basualdo S.A.], which sells perfumes and cleaning products. He became involved in politics as a Justicialist in 1993, standing as running mate to [[Olga Riutort]] in the 1995 election for governor.<ref name= blog /> In 1999, he stood for the mayoralty of [[San Juan, Argentina|San Juan]] and in 2001 he was elected a [[Argentine Chamber of Deputies|national deputy]].<ref name= blog />
Basualdo is a dissident [[Peronism|Peronist]] opposed to the mainstream of his party in the province but is closer to the national leadership of the PJ. He set up his own party, the Life and Commitment Movement. In 2003, he stood for the governorship of San Juan, losing to the Justicialist [[José Luis Gioja]] by 41.5% to 30.8%, with incumbent governor [[Wbaldino Acosta]] third with 19%. He backed [[Adolfo Rodríguez Saá]] for the presidency in that year.<ref>[http://www.lanacion.com.ar/politica/nota.asp?nota_id=933619&origen=premium San Juan se prepara para darle un triunfo electoral a Kirchner], ''[[La Nación]]'', 11 August 2007.</ref>
He was elected to the Senate in 2005. In the Senate he sits in his own block, rather than the ruling [[Front for Victory]], although he supported the election of President [[Cristina Fernández de Kirchner]]. In recent years, his party has leached support back to the mainstream of the PJ.<ref>[http://www.diariodecuyo.com.ar/home/new_noticia.php?noticia_id=160487 Basualdo, con menos socios, entre puros y peronistas], ''[[El Cuyo]]'', 29 May 2006.</ref> In 2007 he stood once again against Gioja for the governorship, heading the [[Front for Change (San Juan)|Front for Change]]. He made opposition of [[Open-pit mining|opencast mining]] a key element of his campaign.<ref>[http://www.diariodecuyo.com.ar/elecciones/gobernador.php Candidatos a gobernador] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022231803/http://www.diariodecuyo.com.ar/elecciones/gobernador.php |date=2007-10-22 }}, ''[[El Cuyo]]'', 2007. Accessed 9 June 2008.</ref>
From 2007, Basualdo was the second vice-president of the Senate, coordinating the senators from smaller parties from the interior of the country.<ref>[http://www.diariodecuyo.com.ar/home/new_noticia.php?noticia_id=210483 Roberto Basualdo, nuevo vice segundo del Senado], ''[[El Cuyo]]'', 15 March 2007.</ref>
==External links== *[http://www.senado.gov.ar/web/senadores/biografia.php?id_sena=362 Senate profile]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Navboxes top |title= Roberto Basualdo navigational boxes |state=collapsed }} {{Argentine deputies, 2003–2005}} {{Argentine national senators, 2005–2007}} {{Argentine national senators, 2007–2009}} {{Argentine national senators, 2009–2011}} {{Argentine national senators, 2011–2013}} {{Argentine national senators, 2013–2015}} {{Argentine national senators, 2015–2017}} {{Argentine national senators, 2017–2019}} {{Argentine national senators, 2019–2021}} {{Argentine national senators, 2021–2023}} {{navboxes end}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basualdo, Roberto}} [[Category:1957 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from San Juan Province, Argentina]] [[Category:Members of the Argentine Senate for San Juan]] [[Category:Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in San Juan]] [[Category:Justicialist Party politicians]] [[Category:Argentine deputies 2003–2005]] [[Category:Argentine deputies 2005–2007]]