Menem vs. Yoma — Evicted from the Presidential Palace by Decree

What Happened

Carlos Menem and Zulema Yoma married in 1966 and were together for 25 years before their spectacular public divorce. When Menem became President of Argentina in 1989, Yoma became First Lady. But their volatile relationship quickly became front-page news. In May 1990, Menem first abandoned the presidential mansion to live with friends, only to return a month later after forcibly evicting Yoma from the building by means of a presidential decree — an unprecedented use of executive power for domestic purposes.

Yoma filed for divorce on March 27, 1991, in Buenos Aires courts, alleging 'injurias graves' (grievous insults), repeated infidelity, and physical mistreatment. By September 1991, the couple was having a very public spat over alimony payments, with Yoma threatening legal action and publicly decrying Menem's infidelity and the influence of corrupt advisors surrounding him. The divorce was filed in 1991 but not finalized until 1995.

The case was extraordinary because Menem used the powers of the presidency in what was essentially a marital dispute. Using a presidential decree to evict one's spouse from the shared residence goes far beyond what any ordinary citizen could do, raising profound questions about the misuse of institutional power in personal relationships. Yoma, for her part, used the only weapon available to her — the press — to fight back publicly.

After the divorce, their daughter Zulemita fulfilled the role of First Lady for the remaining eight years of Menem's presidency. The case became a defining example of how political power can be weaponized in divorce disputes, and how institutional authority should never be used for personal domestic matters.

Legal Breakdown: Presidential power used in domestic disputes

What This Means for Your Divorce