Gildo Insfrán's perpetual race against republican principles in Formosa

Formosa province's institutional weaknesses are once again before Argentina's Supreme Court, as Governor Gildo Insfrán continues to push the boundaries of republican governance. Insfrán has held executive power in Formosa since 1987, serving two terms as vice-governor and eight consecutive terms as governor since 1995. His tenure is approaching four decades of uninterrupted leadership.

In December 2024, the Supreme Court intervened, deeming Formosa's constitutional clause allowing indefinite re-election unconstitutional. The court argued that Insfrán's prolonged stay in power undermined the principle of alternation, concentrated authority, and weakened essential checks and balances, thereby violating fundamental republican tenets.

Insfrán's response to the Court's ruling was a reform of the provincial constitution. While the new text formally limits governors to two consecutive terms, a transitional clause stipulates that the mandate beginning in 2023 should be considered the first. This maneuver effectively aims to nullify his seven previous gubernatorial terms, allowing him to seek re-election in 2027.

The Supreme Court must now decide whether Insfrán can exploit this post-ruling transitional clause to extend his rule. The governor may alter Formosa's constitution, but he cannot change the facts of his forty-year grip on power. No legal artifice can redefine eight consecutive terms as a "first mandate." Each time the constitution presents a limit, Insfrán crafts a new rule, through constitutional reform, judicial interpretation, or transitional clauses, to prolong his tenure. It is time to end this perpetual race for power.