--- type: politician_profile lang: en canonical: https://www.politicaelectoral.com/en/argentina/politicians/isabel-martinez-de-peron nombre: María Estela Martínez Cartas de Perón partido: peronismo generado: 2026-05-02T21:53:51 data_crc: 505d139d --- María Estela Martínez de Perón, known as Isabel Perón, was the **President of Argentina** from 1974 to 1976 and a leading figure in the **Justicialist Party (PJ)**. ## Political career María Estela Martínez Cartas was born in **1931**. Before entering high office, she was primarily known through her marriage to **Juan Domingo Perón**, the founder of Peronism, rather than through a long independent political career. Her political trajectory was closely linked to Perón’s return to Argentina and the reorganisation of Peronism in the early 1970s. She became **Vice-President of the Nation of Argentina** in **1973**, elected on the Peronist ticket alongside Juan Domingo Perón. This was a significant moment in Argentine politics, as she was not only part of the triumphant return of Peronism after years of prohibition and exile, but also became the **first woman ever to hold the presidency or vice-presidency of Argentina**. After Juan Domingo Perón’s death on **1 July 1974**, she constitutionally assumed the **presidency of the nation**, serving until **24 March 1976**, when she was **overthrown by a military coup**. Her government therefore spanned a turbulent period marked by severe political polarisation, social conflict and economic instability. Her period in office was shaped by inherited authority rather than a consolidated personal power base. As president, she relied heavily on advisers and on factions within the broader Peronist movement, while facing resistance from political opponents, trade unions, guerrilla groups and parts of the security establishment. After the coup, she was removed from power and remained a controversial historical figure in Argentina. ## Relationship with the public Isabel Perón’s relationship with the public was ambiguous and often fragile. She entered the vice-presidency and then the presidency with strong symbolic legitimacy, as the widow and political heir of Juan Domingo Perón. For many Peronist voters, that connection mattered more than her own independent profile. However, once in office, her public standing deteriorated sharply. Her administration was associated with growing insecurity, political violence and economic deterioration, all of which reduced public confidence. The state’s response to unrest, including a hardening of internal security policies, further divided opinion. Her communication style was generally considered weak compared with that of other major Argentine leaders, and she never developed a particularly strong rapport with the press or with civil society organisations. Within parts of the electorate, she was seen as a constitutional successor attempting to preserve Peronist continuity; elsewhere, she came to symbolise the fragility of the post-Perón transition. Her public image has remained polarised ever since: to some, she represents historical continuity and institutional legitimacy; to others, administrative weakness and political drift. ## Positions and political profile Martínez de Perón was identified with **Peronism** and the **Partido Justicialista**, but her political profile was shaped less by a distinctive ideological project than by the attempt to govern a fractured movement after Juan Domingo Perón’s death. Her presidency is usually understood as part of the broader crisis of the late Peronist period rather than as a coherent personal reform agenda. She presided over a government that faced escalating conflict between competing currents inside and around Peronism, including left-wing and right-wing factions. In office, she is associated with efforts to preserve order and state authority during a period of mounting instability. Her administration’s approach became increasingly repressive, especially as violence intensified, and this has strongly influenced historical assessments of her government. Key moments that define her political career include: - her election as **vice-president in 1973**, - her assumption of the presidency after **Perón’s death in 1974**, - the escalation of political and economic crisis during **1974–1976**, - and her removal in the **24 March 1976 coup** that ushered in Argentina’s last military dictatorship. Inside the PJ, she is usually viewed as a historical and symbolic figure rather than a dominant political strategist. Outside the party, assessments tend to be more critical, especially because her term coincided with institutional breakdown and violence. Her legacy is inseparable from the circumstances in which she governed: as the first woman to hold the presidency of Argentina, she broke a major constitutional and gender barrier, but her time in office was overwhelmed by crisis. ## Frequently asked questions **Who was María Estela Martínez de Perón?** She was an Argentine politician who served as **Vice-President from 1973 to 1974** and as **President from 1974 to 1976**, becoming the **first woman to govern Argentina**. **Why is she called Isabel Perón?** “Isabel” was the name by which she was widely known in public life; it became the commonly used shortened form of María Estela Martínez de Perón. **How did she become president?** She became president **constitutionally**, after the death of her husband and political partner, **Juan Domingo Perón**, on **1 July 1974**. **What party did she belong to?** She was linked to the **Partido Justicialista (PJ)**, the main Peronist party in Argentina. **Why did her presidency end?** Her government was **overthrown by the military coup of 24 March 1976**, amid severe political violence, social conflict and economic crisis. **What is her historical significance?** She is remembered as **the first woman to hold the presidency in Argentina**, but also as the head of a highly unstable administration during one of the country’s most difficult political periods.