 He allied himself with the centrist Radical Civic Union (UCR) early on, though after the rise of populist leader Juan Perón in 1945, he switched allegiances for the latter.Saadi was elected Senator in 1946, serving until 1949 when he was elected on the Peronist ticket as Governor of Catamarca.The party's leader, President Perón, ordered Saadi removed from his post after four months, however, amid allegations of "nepotism and despotism" in his administration of the remote province.