In 2001, Argentina suffered an economic catastrophe so severe the country went through five leaders in two weeks. On the streets police engaged in battles with protestors. Eduardo Duhalde was the fifth President tasked with pulling his country back from the brink.
Ramón Puerta – Served as President for ~2 Days
The Peronist was appointed to be an interim president, as Argentine law requires that the Senate and the House of Deputies must meet to actually reassign the presidency. The Peronists made Puerta the president of the Senate, meaning he was next in line and could be president, even if it was only briefly. They could pick either a member from Congress or a provincial governor to be the next president. The Peronist representatives were some of the most powerful people in the country at the time, and they were divided and who to appoint. So instead of picking one of the three ‘natural candidates,’ they picked another interim president to serve, namely: Adolfo Rodríguez Saá, the then Governor of San Luis.
Adolfo Rodríguez Saá – Served as President for ~8 Days
Rodríguez Saá was nominated to be president for a mere three months until presidential elections on March 3rd. However, Rodríguez Saá clearly wanted to be an actual president, so he set forth very ambitious goals for the country. Soon, he actually became unpopular in a move to appoint a very corrupt person to the government and in a move that many saw as him trying to expand his power. Riots erupted and Rodríguez Saá called for a meeting of the Peronist governors but realized he lacked support even from most of them. He resigned quickly thereafter.
Eduardo Camaño – Served as President for ~3 Days
Puerta was offered the presidency, but refused, leaving the government with no president, vice president or president of the Senate. Next in line was Eduardo Camaño, the Speaker of the House of Deputies. This time, the president was to serve until the Senate and the House of Deputies convened to pick a new president. Soon, they did and chose Eduardo Duhalde. Ironically, Duhalde had formerly competed against de la Rúa.