View source for Jorge Colazo

{{short description|Argentine Radical Civic Union politician|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox Senator | name=Jorge Colazo
| image=Mario Jorge Colazo.jpg
|caption =Mario Jorge Colazo
| office=[[Argentine Senate|National Senator]]
| term_start=10 December 2007
| term_end=10 December 2013
| preceded=
| succeeded=
| constituency = [[Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province|Tierra del Fuego]]
| term_start1 =10 December 2001
| term_end1 =10 January 2004
| preceded1 =
| succeeded1 =
| constituency1 = [[Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province|Tierra del Fuego]]
| office2=[[Governor of Tierra del Fuego Province|Governor of Tierra del Fuego]]
| term_start2=10 January 2004
| term_end2=2 December 2005
| preceded2=[[Carlos Manfredotti]]
| succeeded2=[[Hugo Cóccaro]]
| office4=Mayor of [[Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego|Río Grande]]
| term_start4= 1991
| term_end4= 1999
| preceded4=
| succeeded4=
| birth_date={{birth date and age|1954|03|04}}
| birth_place= [[Río Tercero, Córdoba|Río Tercero]], Argentina
| death_date=
| death_place=
| party=[[Radical Civic Union]]
| spouse= Ana María del Carmen Córdoba
| profession=
| website=
}}
'''Mario Jorge Colazo''', "El Potro", (born 4 March 1954) is an [[Argentina|Argentine]] [[Radical Civic Union]] (UCR) politician. He was governor of [[Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina|Tierra del Fuego]] from 2004 to 2005, when he was removed from office by the [[Supreme Court of Argentina|Supreme Court]]. From 2001 to 2004, and again from 2007 to 2013, he sat in the [[Argentine Senate]].

==Early life and career==
Colazo was born on 4 March 1954 in [[Río Tercero, Córdoba|Río Tercero]], [[Córdoba Province (Argentina)|Córdoba Province]]. He attended primary school in Córdoba before moving to [[Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego]] for his secondary education. He was involved in various community organisations. During the [[Falklands War]] he served in civil protection in Río Grande. 

From an early age, Colazo was involved in the UCR and held senior positions in the party at provincial and national levels. From 1989 to 1991 he served as a Río Grande councillor and in 1991 he was elected Mayor of Río Grande, serving until 1999. In that year he stood as candidate for governor of the Province. From January 2000 he worked as head of the Social Services for Pensioners for the Province until 2001.

==Political career==
In 2001 Colazo was elected as senator. Then in 2003 he was elected as governor of the province, defeating incumbent [[Peronism|Peronist]] [[Carlos Manfredotti]] and taking office in January 2004 with [[Hugo Cóccaro]] as his vice-governor. Although a Radical, he was by now identified with the attempt at political consensus of the new [[President of Argentina|President]], Peronist [[Néstor Kirchner]], and was seen as one of the leading <nowiki>'</nowiki>''Radicales K''<nowiki>'</nowiki>. Indeed, Cóccaro was a [[Justicialist Party|Justicialist]], although he had been a supporter of the anti-Kirchner Peronist leader [[Adolfo Rodríguez Saá]] against Kirchner for the Presidency.<ref name=Clarin>[https://archive.today/20120630100345/http://www.clarin.com/diario/2005/09/10/elpais/p-01201.htm Tierra del Fuego: suspendieron al gobernador Colazo y asumió el vice], ''[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]]'', 10 September 2005.</ref>

The relationship between Colazo and Cóccaro soon deteriorated, to the extent that Colazo even accused his deputy of involvement in plans to assassinate him.<ref name=Clarin /> Colazo had also been isolated from his party, who had suspended him for his links with the Peronists. He was put under investigation by the provincial legislature for misuse of municipal funds in Río Grande and for bypassing the legislature when making budget decisions in 2004, and in September 2005 he was suspended as governor.<ref name=Clarin /> He was [[impeached]] in December 2005 and Cóccaro formally took over.

In 2007 Colazo stood for and was re-elected to the Senate, heading the [[Federalist Union (Argentina)|Federalist Union]] list. He sits with the Kirchners' Front for Victory. However, in March 2008, a Tierra del Fuego court requested that the Senate expel him in connection with the ongoing allegations relating to improper use of funds while Mayor of Río Grande.<ref name=desafuero>[http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/03/05/elpais/p-00701.htm Piden el desafuero del ex gobernador Jorge Colazo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080421185639/http://www.clarin.com/diario/2008/03/05/elpais/p-00701.htm |date=2008-04-21 }}, ''[[Clarín (Argentine newspaper)|Clarín]]'', 5 March 2008.</ref> This would allow Colazo to be prosecuted.<ref name=desafuero />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110531185900/http://www.senado.gov.ar/web/senadores/biografia.php?id_sena=326 Senate profile]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Colazo, Jorge}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Córdoba Province, Argentina]]
[[Category:Members of the Argentine Senate for Tierra del Fuego]]
[[Category:Governors of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina]]
[[Category:Radical Civic Union politicians]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Argentina]]
[[Category:Impeached governors removed from office]]
[[Category:Impeached Argentine officials]]