Aníbal Ibarra

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Aníbal Ibarra (born March 1, 1958) is an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the mayor of Buenos Aires from August 7, 2000, to March 7, 2006. He was born in Lomas de Zamora, in the Buenos Aires Province; his father was a Paraguayan member of the PLRA who left Paraguay during the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner.

Ibarra studied at a public prep school and earned his law degree from the University of Buenos Aires. He worked as a prosecutor but left to enter politics, co-founding the center-left Frente Grande party in 1990. His opposition to presidential pardons for dictatorship leaders led to his dismissal as a prosecutor in 1991. He was elected to the Buenos Aires Deliberative Council in 1993 and became its president. He helped shape the 1994 constitutional amendment and became a leading member of FrePaSo, serving as the first president of the Buenos Aires City Legislature when it replaced the council in 1997.

In 2000, Ibarra was elected mayor of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, defeating former Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo, and he was re-elected in 2003 after a runoff against Mauricio Macri. He enjoyed the support of President Néstor Kirchner and acted as a transversal figure during Kirchner’s presidency. His notable projects included expanding the Pedro de Elizalde Children's Hospital, starting construction on subway Line H, and purchasing the CIAE power station to convert it into Usina del Arte (Arts Powerhouse).

The December 30, 2004 Cromagnon nightclub fire, which killed 194 people, brought heavy accusations against city officials for safety failures and rescue shortcomings. On November 14, 2005, an impeachment jury suspended him for four months. He claimed the opposition was manipulating victims’ families, and during the suspension the city was run by Vice-Mayor Jorge Telerman. On March 7, 2006, the same impeachment jury dismissed him as mayor.

In the 2007 city elections, his party list finished second, and he and four other coalition members were elected to the City Legislature for the term starting December 10, 2007, supporting President Kirchner’s ally Daniel Filmus. Ibarra was re-elected to the City Legislature in 2011. His sister, Vilma Ibarra, is a National Deputy and former Senator.

Ibarra is married to Marcela Heiss. He has been associated with center-left parties, including FrePaSo and later the Popular Progressive Front.