12 Facts About Rafael Bielsa

Rafael Antonio Bielsa Caldera was born on February 15,1953 and is an Argentine Justicialist Party politician from Rosario, province of Santa Fe.

Rafael Bielsa was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2005.

Rafael Bielsa studied at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Rosario and became a lawyer.

Rafael Bielsa is the brother of former Argentina national football team coach Marcelo Bielsa; both are well-known Newell's Old Boys supporters.

Rafael Bielsa is the brother of architect Maria Eugenia Bielsa, Vice-Governor of Santa Fe from 2003 to 2007 and Minister of Habitat from 2019 to 2020.

In 1974 Rafael Bielsa began at the Federal Court of Rosario.

In 1977, during the Dirty War, suspected of being a member of the Montoneros radical guerrilla group, Rafael Bielsa was detained and taken to the "El Castillo" illegal detention centre, where he spent two months of questioning and torture.

Rafael Bielsa served as adviser to the Office of the President of Argentina during the early years of the Carlos Menem administration, at the Ministry of Justice, as well as for specific international projects and other posts.

Rafael Bielsa published several books of poetry during the 1980s and 1990s.

Rafael Bielsa was the foreign minister of Argentina from 25 May 2003, when President Nestor Kirchner took office, until 6 December 2005.

Rafael Bielsa competed with fellow party member Agustin Rossi in the primary elections held on 1 July 2007, and was elected candidate of the Justicialist Party for the governorship of Santa Fe by a wide margin.

From 2011 to 2013, Rafael Bielsa was the secretary in charge of the Secretariat of Programming for the Prevention of Drug Addiction and the Fight against Drug Trafficking.