24/06/2026 15:12 - Actualidad
The National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo) will have a new rector starting August 14, 2026. Adriana García, from the Encuentro Plural coalition, achieved 53.36% of the votes against 46.64% obtained by Gabriel Fidel, the candidate representing the outgoing Radical administration led by Esther Sánchez.
For international readers: UNCuyo is the largest public university in Mendoza, Argentina's premier wine-producing province located at the foothills of the Andes. This election marks the first Peronist victory in a direct election since the voting system was implemented at the university, ending twelve years of Radical (UCR) hegemony.
💡 Political Context: Peronism is Argentina's dominant political movement founded by Juan Perón in the 1940s, while the Radical Civic Union (UCR) is a centrist party that has historically been one of the main opposition forces. In Argentine universities, these political movements compete for administrative control through elected positions.
| Adriana García | 53.36% |
| Gabriel Fidel | 46.64% |
| Registered Voters | 58,000+ |
| Actual Voters | ~16,000 |
| Polling Stations | 155 |
García's runoff strategy proved decisive: she consolidated a broad opposition front that included Javier Ozollo and Fernanda Bernabé from Proyecto Universidad Abierta, who had obtained 18.45% in the first round. She also gathered support from progressive sectors and orthodox Peronism.
The balotaje (runoff election) system works as follows: when no candidate achieves more than 50% in the first round, the top two face a second election. This forced a runoff between Fidel and García after the June 9 first round.
📅 First Round Results (June 9): Fidel obtained 37.06% and García reached 29.02%. The narrow gap forced the June 23 runoff.
García's victory can be explained by multiple converging factors:
The university administration arrived with 12 years of uninterrupted leadership: two terms of Daniel Pizzi followed by Esther Sánchez's management. Discontent was especially expressed in the non-teaching staff sector, where Fidel only won in one faculty (Agricultural Sciences).
Wage conflicts, the DAMSU crisis (the university's social work organization providing healthcare), and budget restrictions weighed heavily on the evaluation of the outgoing administration. The university community expressed rejection of national policies affecting public education.
University Peronism interprets that part of the result reflects rejection of the national government's economic policies, especially in "CONICET-heavy" faculties where professors with exclusive dedication predominate. CONICET is Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council.
While Peronism managed to present a united front under García's candidacy, Radicalism showed internal fissures and conflicts between sectors that could not be capitalized into votes.
"No agreement was made with Kirchnerism. Our space is absolutely diverse. If we got 53.36%, it's because independents, Peronists, and Radicals are also there."
In an interview with Radio Post, García emphasized that the victory represented "a turning point" and defended the university's autonomy from partisan disputes: "At the university, we have crucial problems to be in that partisan dispute."
Regarding her administration, she announced she will seek to "recover that National University of Cuyo as representative of the social, intellectual, and cultural diversity of Mendoza."
Although García won the rectorship, her administration will face an institutional structure where the outgoing officialdom maintains strong presence:
📅 Key Date: García and Sisti will formally assume their functions on August 16, 2026 and will lead the university until 2030.
The National University of Cuyo (UNCuyo) is the main public higher education institution in Mendoza and one of the most important in Argentina. Founded in 1939, it has 12 faculties and a registry of more than 58,000 voters among students, professors, graduates, and academic support staff. Direct election of its authorities has been implemented since 2014, making it a unique democratic experience in Argentine public universities.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
