Jorge Sobisch

Infobox_Governor
name= Jorge Sobisch


caption=
order=
office= Governor of Neuquén
term_start=1991 – 1995
1999 – 2003
2003
term_end=2007
lieutenant= Federico Brollo(1991-95)
Jorge Sapag(1999-07)
predecessor= Pedro Salvatori (1991)
Felipe Sapag (1995)
successor=Felipe Sapag (1999)
Jorge Sapag(2007)
birth_date= 1943
birth_place= Buenos Aires
profession= graphic designer
party= Neuquén People's Movement
footnotes=

Jorge Omar Sobisch (born 1943) is an Argentine centre-right politician, formerly governor of Neuquén Province. He leads the Neuquén People's Movement and was a candidate for President of Argentina in 2007.

Sobisch was born in Buenos Aires and moved to Neuquén as a young boy with the military family of his father, Carlos Sobisch. He studied in Neuquén and Buenos Aires, then moved to Trelew, Chubut as a young man to work in a friend's design company. He became a graphics operator and typesetter and set up his own company. He completed his military service in Colonia Sarmiento.

Sobisch led the Club Deportivo Independiente and assisted his Peronist father in founding the Neuquino People's Movement, following him into politics. The party won the Neuquén city elections in 1983 after the return of democracy and Sobisch became mayor, taking took a leading role in renewing the party.

Sobisch was elected governor of the province in 1991, serving until 1995. He took over the leadership of the party in 1997. He won again as governor in 1999 and 2003, with 57% of the vote, his term expiring in 2007 when he stepped down.

Sobisch led the founding of the Movement of the United Provinces, a new national party, and was the movement's candidate for the Presidency in 2007. He had previously formed a centre-right alliance with Mauricio Macri [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/Archivo/nota.asp?nota_id=688802&aplicacion_id=12] , although it did not survive Macri's alliance with Ricardo López Murphy (who is not on good terms with Sobisch) who also contested the presidency in 2007 [http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-62562-2006-02-04.html] [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/Archivo/nota.asp?nota_id=818595] .

Sobisch is also seen as an ally of former Justicialist Party President Carlos Menem and had hoped to become the candidate of those Peronists opposed to President Nestor Kirchner. Following a scandal in his home province, concerning the death of union activist Carlos Fuentealba, Sobisch was largely shunned by disgruntled Peronists who mainly backed Alberto Rodríguez Saá. Sobisch was however backed by campaigner Juan Carlos Blumberg.

In 2007, Sobisch with his running mate Jorge Asís gained 284,161 votes in the presidential elections, amounting to 1.56% of the national vote, in sixth place.

External links

* [http://www.sobischpresidente.com/ Sobisch 2007 official site] (Spanish)
* [http://www.clarin.com/diario/2006/01/30/elpais/p-00801.htm Interview] , "Clarín", 2001-01-30 (Spanish)
* [http://www.neuquen.gov.ar/ Neuquen Province] (Spanish)
* [http://www.mpn.org.ar/ Neuquino People's Movement] (Spanish)