Guillermo del Cioppo
Guillermo Jorge del Cioppo was an Argentine politician who served as intendente of Buenos Aires from 1983 to 1983, appointed by the military dictatorship that ruled the country at the time.
Early life and career
Del Cioppo was born on 19 July 1930 in Buenos Aires. In his youth, he married MarÃa Marta Arce, with whom he had three children. He completed his secondary education at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires before earning a law degree from the University of Buenos Aires Facultyo of Law.Between 1956 and 1957, he served as an advisor at Argentina's Ministry of the Interior. His political trajectory advanced in 1970 when he was appointed Chief of Staff for the Advisory Cabinet during Brigadier Aguirre's municipal administration. By 1975, he had joined the Promotional Committee of the Movimiento LÃnea Popular, a political organization aligned with the Peronist movement led by Francisco Manrique.
During the mayoralty of Osvaldo Cacciatore, del Cioppo chaired the Municipal Housing Commission, the agency responsible for overseeing the controversial removal of informal settlements in Buenos Aires. This period coincided with Argentina's last military dictatorship, during which urban policy became increasingly exclusionary.
Mayor of Buenos Aires
On 31 March 1982, the de facto President Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri appointed him intendente of Buenos Aires. His administration became known for its exclusionary rhetoric, particularly his declaration that "one must deserve to live in Buenos Aires" – a statement made following mass protests against the military government that had removed his predecessor.During his brief tenure, he implemented several urban changes: the redesignation of Plaza España as Parque España, renovations in Parque Tres de Febrero, and the inauguration of the Psychiatric Emergency Center at Alvear Hospital. De facto president Reynaldo Bignone reconfirmed his appointment on 21 July 1982.
A significant infrastructure achievement was the 1 May 1983 opening of the Retiro Bus Terminal, which consolidated Buenos Aires' previously decentralized intercity bus operations near Plaza Constitución and Plaza Once into a single modern facility. His term ended on 10 December 1983 with Argentina's return to democracy.