 He defeated the incumbent Governor, Jorge Escobar.His period in office was marked by economic turbulence and public unrest in San Juan, not unlike the country as a whole; by 2001, provincial employees were not being paid, and the province was insolvent.Following the downfall of the government of President de la Rua, Avelín was a fierce opponent of the austerity measures proposed by the International Monetary Fund, saying, "The only thing lacking for us is to pull down the Argentine flag and replace it with the IMF's."