The historic leader and collaborator of Perón, Juan Manuel Abal Medina Sr., has died.

Former political leader and figure of Peronism Juan Manuel Abal Medina (father) died on Sunday 15th at the age of 80. This was confirmed by his son, Juan Manuel , through his X account. Abal Medina father was one of the architects of Juan Domingo Perón's return to Argentina during the 70s and belonged to the inner circle of "the General", becoming General Secretary of the Justicialist Party .

Abal Medina's life was strongly influenced by politics. In his youth, he tentatively approached Peronism, a doctrine he strongly embraced and which led him to be appointed by Perón himself as one of those responsible for organizing his return to the country after his 17-year exile and ban. Appointed Secretary General of the Partido Juventud (PJ) in 1972, he held this position until his dismissal in 1974.

We regret to inform you that Juan Manuel Abal Medina Sr. passed away yesterday. His remains have been in the family vault since this morning. May God bless him. pic.twitter.com/g8OeAB8p15

— Juan Manuel Abal Medina (@juanabalmedina) June 16, 2025

After his dismissal and before the military coup of 1976, Juan Manuel Abal Medina took refuge in the Mexican Embassy and in 1928, during the Falklands War , he obtained a safe-conduct pass that allowed him to leave the country. From Mexico, he continued working as a civil servant and practiced law, eventually becoming an advisor to the telecommunications magnate Carlos Slim . Although he visited Argentina several times, in recent years these trips became increasingly sporadic due to his suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

In 2022, he published the book " Getting to Know Perón ", where he recounted and reconstructed his work within Justicialism, highlighted the work in Perón's two returns to Argentina, the negotiations between Peronist youth and union leaders, important figures such as Isabel Perón or José López Rega, and vindicated Perón in the face of the biased views of his figure that emerged over the years.

His book was dedicated to his brother Fernando, one of the founders of Montoneros and who participated in the kidnapping and murder of former de facto president Pedro Eugenio Aramburu in 1970. Fernando died in 1970 during a confrontation with police in the town of William Morris.

In 2022, Juan Manuel explained that he was not part of the organization. "I didn't say it before because it seemed a bit cowardly or opportunistic. Today I can say it: I never had a close relationship with Montoneros . Many things were said, like that I was the political leader, but it's not true. I wasn't a representative of the movement either ," he explained in an interview with La Nación.