Santiago Cafiero

Santiago Andrés Cafiero (born 30 August 1979) is an Argentine political scientist and politician, currently serving as a National Deputy elected in Buenos Aires Province. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship (2021–2023) and as Cabinet Chief (2019–2021) in the cabinet of President Alberto Fernández.

Santiago Cafiero
Cafiero in 2019
National Deputy
Assumed office
10 December 2023
ConstituencyBuenos Aires
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship
In office
20 September 2021 – 10 December 2023
PresidentAlberto Fernández
Preceded byFelipe Solá
Succeeded byDiana Mondino
Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers
In office
10 December 2019 – 20 September 2021
PresidentAlberto Fernández
Preceded byMarcos Peña
Succeeded byJuan Manzur
Personal details
Born
Santiago Andrés Cafiero

(1979-08-30) 30 August 1979 (age 44)
San Isidro, Argentina
Political partyJusticialist Party
Other political
affiliations
Frente de Todos (2019–2023)
Union for the Homeland (2023–present)
EducationUniversity of Buenos Aires (BA)
Torcuato di Tella University (MPP)

Early life and education

Santiago Andrés Cafiero was born on 30 August 1979[1] in San Isidro, in Buenos Aires Province, son of Juan Pablo Cafiero, who was Minister of Social Development during the presidency of Fernando de la Rúa in 2001, and María Luisa Bianchi. Cafiero's grandfather, Antonio Cafiero, held many important political posts, including the governorship of Buenos Aires, and also briefly served as Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers under Eduardo Camaño.[2][3]

He began his political activism in the Peronist Youth in San Isidro. Cafiero studied political science at the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Social Sciences, and then went on to receive a Master's Degree on public policy from Torcuato di Tella University.[1][4]

Political career

Cafiero was elected president of the local Justicialist Party in his native San Isidro in 2008, and was the party's mayoral candidate in 2011 and 2015.[5] From 2009 to 2017, he was a councillor in San Isidro's municipal council.[4]

During the governorship of Daniel Scioli in Buenos Aires, Cafiero worked as a consultant in the Undersecretariat of Municipal Affairs (2007–2008), and then went on to serve as the Province's Director of Industry from 2008 to 2010, Undersecretary of Industry, Commerce and Mining from 2010 to 2011, Vice-minister of Social Development and Undersecretary of Social Policies from 2011 to 2014, and Undersecretary of Modernization from 2014 to 2015.[6]

Cafiero was Florencio Randazzo's campaign chief in Randazzo's 2017 senatorial run.[4]

Ahead of the 2019 general election, Alberto Fernández, the Justicialist Party's presidential candidate, appointed Cafiero as his campaign chief and formed the Grupo Callao think tank alongside him.[7][8]

On 29 October 2019, Fernández won the presidential election in the first round with 48.2% of the vote. On 6 December 2019, in the official announcement of his incoming cabinet's composition, President-elect Fernández named Cafiero as his Cabinet Chief, a post he assumed on 10 December 2019.[9]

Cafiero with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2022

On 20 September 2021, Cafiero was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship in replacement of Felipe Solá, and was replaced as Cabinet Chief by Juan Manzur. Manzur's appointment and Cafiero's designation as Foreign Minister were part of a cabinet reshuffle following the government's poor showings in the 2021 legislative primary elections.[10][11]

Personal life

Cafiero is married and has four sons and one daughter.[12][13] He co-founded the Punto de Encuentro ("Meeting Point") publishing house in 2015.[4]

Electoral history

Legislative

Electoral history of Santiago Cafiero
ElectionOfficeList#DistrictVotesResultRef.
Total%P.
2009CouncillorJusticialist Party1San Isidro Partido14,7538.18%4th[a]Elected[14]
2023National DeputyUnion for the Homeland5Buenos Aires Province4,094,66543.71%1st[a]Elected[15]

References

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers
2019–2021
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship
2021–2023
Succeeded by