View source for Rafael Bielsa

{{short description|Argentine politician}}
{{family name hatnote|Bielsa|Caldera|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Rafael Bielsa
| honorific-suffix    = 
| image               = Rafael Bielsa (cropped).jpg
| imagesize           = 
| office              = [[List of ambassadors of Argentina to Chile|Ambassador of Argentina to Chile]]
| term_start          = 5 August 2020
| term_end            = 10 December 2023
| predecessor         = [[José Octavio Bordón]]
| successor           = [[Jorge Faurie]]
| office1             = [[Argentine Chamber of Deputies|National Deputy]]
| term_start1         = 10 December 2005
| term_end1           = 7 November 2007
| constituency1       = [[Santa Fe Province|Santa Fe]]
| office2             = [[List of Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Worship|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]
| term_start2         = 25 May 2003
| term_end2           = 3 December 2005
| president2          = [[Néstor Kirchner]]
| predecessor2        = [[Carlos Ruckauf]]
| successor2          = [[Jorge Taiana]]
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1953|2|15}}
| birth_place         = [[Rosario]], Argentina
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| party               = [[Justicialist Party]]
| otherparty          = [[Front for Victory]] (2003–2007)
}}

[[Image:Rafael Bielsa.jpg|thumb|240px|right|Rafael Bielsa (center), speaking in the press room of the [[Casa Rosada]] on 4 October 2005 ]]

'''Rafael Antonio Bielsa Caldera''' (born February 15, 1953) is an Argentine [[Justicialist Party]] politician from [[Rosario]], [[provinces of Argentina|province]] of [[Santa Fe Province|Santa Fe]]. He was the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] from 2003 to 2005. From 2020 to 2023 he was also Argentina's ambassador to [[Chile]].

==Early life and education==
Bielsa spent his childhood in [[Morteros]], [[Córdoba Province, Argentina|Córdoba]], the birthplace of his mother. He studied at the Faculty of Law of the [[National University of Rosario]] and became a lawyer. Bielsa is also a poet, writer and essayist. He is the brother of former [[Argentina national football team]] coach [[Marcelo Bielsa]]; both are well-known [[Newell's Old Boys]] supporters. He is also the brother of architect [[María Eugenia Bielsa]], Vice-Governor of Santa Fe from 2003 to 2007 and [[Ministry of Territorial Development and Habitat|Minister of Habitat]] from 2019 to 2020.

In 1974 Bielsa began at the Federal Court of Rosario. In 1977, during the [[Dirty War]], suspected of being a member of the [[Montoneros]] radical [[guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] group, Bielsa was detained and taken to the "El Castillo" illegal detention centre (also known as "El Fortín"), where he spent two months of questioning and [[torture]]. After a period in [[Spain]], he returned to Argentina in 1980, and started working in different positions of the military government, mainly in the Ministry of Justice.
<ref>Terra, 11 October 2005. [http://www.terra.com.ar/canales/elecciones2005/124/124626.html Bielsa, de canciller a diputado].</ref>
<ref>Reportajes.org. [http://www.reportajes.org/2006/08/24/biografia-de-rafael-bielsa/ Biografía de Rafael Bielsa].</ref>

==Political career==
Upon the [[1983 Argentine general election|return to democracy]] in 1983, Bielsa worked in a Secretariat of the Ministry of Education in different functions. He served as adviser to the Office of the [[President of Argentina]] during the early years of the [[Carlos Menem]] administration, at the Ministry of Justice, as well as for specific international projects and other posts. He published several books of poetry during the 1980s and 1990s.<ref>Clarín, 31 May 2003. [http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/cultura/2003/05/31/u-567555.htm Hélas!, un poeta en la Cancillería] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090715002936/http://www.clarin.com/suplementos/cultura/2003/05/31/u-567555.htm |date=15 July 2009 }}</ref>

Bielsa was the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship|foreign minister]] of Argentina from 25 May 2003, when President [[Néstor Kirchner]] took office, until 6 December 2005. At the [[Elections in Argentina, 2005|2005 legislative elections]] he won a seat in the [[Argentine Chamber of Deputies]], representing the Autonomous City of [[Buenos Aires]]. At the last moment (just before the inauguration ceremony), after a request by the President, he chose not to take office, instead accepting an appointment to become [[Ambassador]] in [[France]]; however, the next day he retracted (citing moral qualms and the pressure from public opinion as the reason) and decided to occupy his legislative seat after all. Both decisions were heavily criticized by the opposition and political analysts in the media; the latter one was also qualified in harsh terms by government supporters themselves. Bielsa remained close to the President despite these problems.
<ref>Télam, 7 December 2005. [https://web.archive.org/web/20201003045018/https://www.telam.com.ar/ing_112390.asp ''Rafael Bielsa unexpectedly named Ambassador in France'']{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926224018/http://www.telam.com.ar/ing_112390.asp |date=2011-09-26 }}</ref>
<ref>''[[Página/12]]'', 6 December 2005. [http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-60176-2005-12-07.html ''Bielsa renunció a su banca y será embajador en Francia''] ("Bielsa gave up his seat and will be ambassador in France")</ref>
<ref>La Nación, 7 December 2005. [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/762995 ''Finalmente, Bielsa será diputado'']</ref>
<ref>Mercopress, 7 December 2005. [http://www.mercopress.com/Detalle.asp?NUM=6880 ''Bielsa dilemma: Paris, Congress, people, or K's fury?'']</ref>
<ref>La Nación, 9 December 2005. [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/763349 ''Los kirchneristas hacen cola para criticar al ex canciller''] ("Kirchnerists line up to criticize the former chancellor")</ref>

He competed with fellow party member [[Agustín Rossi]] in the primary elections held on 1 July 2007, and was elected candidate of the Justicialist Party for the governorship of Santa Fe by a wide margin. He lost the main election, on 2 September, to the Socialist former mayor of Rosario [[Hermes Binner]]. Bielsa received 38.8% of the vote.<ref>La Capital, 1 July 2007. [http://www.lacapital.com.ar/2007/07/01/politica/noticia_400501.shtml ''Irreversible: Rafael Bielsa es el candidato a gobernador del PJ''].</ref><ref>La Capital, 2 September 2007. [http://www.lacapital.com.ar/2007/09/02/politica/noticia_414320.shtml ''Binner, primer gobernador socialista de la historia''].</ref> After acknowledging the defeat, he announced he would also be resigning from his post as representative for Buenos Aires, which he did five days later.
<ref>La Capital, 7 September 2007. [http://www.lacapital.com.ar/2007/09/07/politica/noticia_415335.shtml '' Bielsa renunció a su banca de diputado nacional ''].</ref>

From 2011 to 2013, Bielsa was the secretary in charge of the [[Secretariat of Comprehensive Policies on Drugs|Secretariat of Programming for the Prevention of Drug Addiction and the Fight against Drug Trafficking]] (SEDRONAR).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/2013/03/20/701825-rafael-bielsa-renuncio-la-sedronar/|work=[[Infobae]]|title=Rafael Bielsa renunció a la Sedronar|date=19 March 2013|access-date=16 December 2020|language=es}}</ref>

==Honours and awards==
===National honours===
* {{flagicon|Buenos Aires}} [[Illustrious Citizen of Buenos Aires]] (12 March 2019)<ref>{{cite web |title=Rafael Bielsa, Ciudadano Ilustre |url=https://www.legislatura.gob.ar/posts/rafael-bielsa-ciudadano-ilustre153.html |publisher=Legislatura Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires |access-date=9 November 2025 |date=12 March 2019}}</ref>

===Foreign honours===
* [[File:PER Order of the Sun of Peru - Grand Cross BAR.png|50x50px]] {{flag|Peru}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Sun of Peru]] (9 June 2004)<ref>{{cite web |title=CONDECORADOS: ORDEN EL SOL DEL PERU |url=https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/152563pdf/256576536#12 |website=slideshare.net |publisher=Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores |access-date=9 November 2025 |page=12}}</ref>
* [[File:CHL Order of Bernardo O'Higgins - Grand Cross BAR.png|50x50px]] {{flag|Chile}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Bernardo O'Higgins]] (9 February 2005)<ref>{{cite news |title=Chile otorga Gran Cruz de Orden al Mérito a canciller argentino |url=https://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/2005/02/09/172435/chile-otorga-gran-cruz-de-orden-al-merito-a-canciller-argentino.html |access-date=9 November 2025 |work=Emol |date=9 February 2005}}</ref>
* [[File:BRA - Order of the Southern Cross - Grand Cross BAR.svg|50x50px]] {{flag|Brazil}}: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Southern Cross]] (19 May 2005)<ref>{{cite news |title=Bielsa: condecorado y entrevista con Lula |url=https://www.clarin.com/ediciones-anteriores/bielsa-condecorado-entrevista-lula_0_Hk2lLlF1RFx.html |access-date=9 November 2025 |work=Clarín |date=20 May 2005}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Rafael Bielsa}}

{{Kirchner cabinet}}
{{Argentine deputies, 2005–2007}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bielsa, Rafael}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Rosario, Santa Fe]]
[[Category:Argentine people of Spanish descent]]
[[Category:National University of Rosario alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Argentine lawyers]]
[[Category:Argentine male poets]]
[[Category:Foreign ministers of Argentina]]
[[Category:Kirchner administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of Argentina to Chile]]
[[Category:Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Santa Fe]]
[[Category:Justicialist Party politicians]]
[[Category:Argentine deputies 2005–2007]]