Julio Cobos

Julio César Cleto Cobos (born Mendoza, Argentina, April 30, 1955) is an Argentine politician, currently serving as the Vice President of Argentina alongside President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He started his political career as member of the Radical Civic Union (UCR), becoming Governor of Mendoza in 2003. He was expelled from the party in 2007, when he joined Cristina Fernández, from the Front for Victory, to run as candidate for vice-president.

His popular prestige got a big boost in 2008, when the senate was voting a project of law to ratify an increase of taxes on grain exports. The voting ended in a tie, circumstances that set him, as President of the Senate, to cast the deciding vote. On a controversial decision, he voted against the law project promoted by the Government. This led to strong critics from the ruling Front for Victory party, and from the media, who deemed him a traitor, and approval from sectors of the population that opposed the government. As he further distanced himself from the government, the UCR revoked his expulsion from the party and, by 2010 he is considered a presidential pre-candidate for the 2011 elections.

He joined the UCR in 1991 and took public office as an official in the municipality of Mendoza then as minister of Environment and Public Works in the government of Mendoza Province 1999–2000. He was dean of the regional faculty of the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional 1997–2003. He was elected governor in 2003, heading a coalition between Radicals with Recrear and Federalists.

After his election, Cobos became a leading supporter of Peronist President Néstor Kirchner in Radical ranks, taking a more left-wing position. He was in dispute with other Radicals in Mendoza, led by former governor Roberto Iglesias, now Radical leader, over his support for Kirchner and their desire to back another presidential candidate in the 2007 elections. Mendoza's constitution does not allow re-election; however Cobos supported Celso Jaque to take office in 2007 on the same slate as Kirchner.

Cobos was asked by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to stand as her running mate in 2007 heading the Front for Victory slate. He accepted her offer and was consequently expelled by the Radicals in July 2007. Having won the election, Cobos was sworn in as Vice President in December 2007.

On July 17, 2008, Cobos, as Vice President and leader of the Argentine Senate, cast the deciding vote rejecting an increase in grain export taxes. This controversial bill had led to economic and social instability in Argentina, with mass protests both for and against the government. Cobos had been expected to back President Fernández de Kirchner. "I think today is the most difficult day of my life", Cobos said. "They tell me I must go along with the government for institutional reasons, but my heart tells me otherwise. May history judge me, my vote is not for, it's against." Cobos has said that the move defused tensions in the country between farmers and the state.

Cobos' car managed to escape an attempted hijacking.

Some parts of the media have considered him a potential presidential candidate for president in the 2011 elections since the raise of his public image during the voting in the Congress, though other parts of the media do not agree on that saying his image is falling abruptly. Cobos initially maintained a quiet position about the topic, and declared his intentions to be candidate by the beginning of 2010.

In July 2010, he returned to the UCR headquarters, where he was greeted by party officials Gerardo Morales, Ernesto Sanz, Ricardo Alfonsín and Oscar Aguad. They agreed to work on a plan to govern the country towards the 2011 full term elections.