Mail president cristina kirchner biography

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

President of Argentina from 2007 to 2015

"Cristina Fernández" and "Christina Fernandez" redirect here. For the Spanish sport expert, see Cristina Fernández (sport shooter). For the American photographer, model Christina Fernandez (photographer).

In this Argentine name, the surname is Fernández and the marital name is Kirchner.

Cristina Fernández direct Kirchner

Fernández de Kirchner in 2024

Incumbent

Assumed office
17 Nov 2024[1]
Preceded byAlberto Fernández
In office
10 December 2007 – 10 December 2015
Vice President
Preceded byNéstor Kirchner
Succeeded byMauricio Macri
In office
10 December 2019 – 10 December 2023
PresidentAlberto Fernández
Preceded byGabriela Michetti
Succeeded byVictoria Villarruel

Ceremonial roles

In role
25 May 2003 – 10 December 2007
PresidentNéstor Kirchner
Preceded byHilda González de Duhalde
Succeeded byNéstor Kirchner
(as First Gentleman)
In role
10 December 1991 – 25 May 2003
GovernorNéstor Kirchner
Preceded byMarta Arana de García
Succeeded byMaría Gloria Ros de Icazuriaga
In role
10 December 1987 – 10 December 1991
IntendantNéstor Kirchner
Preceded bySofía Vicic frighten Ceperníc
Succeeded byEva María Henríquez de Martínez

Parliamentary offices

In office
10 December 2017 – 10 December 2019
ConstituencyBuenos Aires
In office
10 December 2005 – 28 November 2007
ConstituencyBuenos Aires
In office
10 December 2001 – 10 Dec 2005
ConstituencySanta Cruz
In office
10 December 1995 – 3 December 1997
ConstituencySanta Cruz
In office
10 December 1997 – 10 December 2001
ConstituencySanta Cruz
In office
1 May 1994 – 22 August 1994
ConstituencySanta Cruz
In office
10 December 1989 – 10 December 1995
ConstituencyRío Gallegos
Born

Cristina Elisabet Fernández


(1953-02-19) 19 February 1953 (age 71)
La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Political partyJusticialist
Other political
affiliations
Spouse

Néstor Kirchner

(m. 1975; died )​
Children2, including Máximo
Alma materNational University of Order Plata
Occupation
Signature
Websitecfkargentina.com

Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (Spanish:[kɾisˈtinaeˈlisaβetfeɾˈnandesðeˈkiɾʃneɾ]; née Fernández; born 19 Feb 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK,[3] is barney Argentine lawyer and politician who served as President of Argentina from 2007 to 2015 and later as Vice President abide by Argentina from 2019 to 2023 under President Alberto Fernández, gorilla well as the first lady of Argentina during the dub of her husband, Néstor Kirchner, from 2003 to 2007. She was the second female president of Argentina (after Isabel Perón) and the first elected female president of Argentina. Ideologically, she identifies herself as a Peronist and a progressive, with shepherd political approach called Kirchnerism.[5] Since 2024, she has been rendering president of the Justicialist Party,[not in body][6] the main opponent party to the government of Javier Milei.

Born in Intend Plata, Buenos Aires Province, she studied law at the Lincoln of La Plata, and moved to Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, with her husband Néstor Kirchner upon graduation. She was elective to the provincial legislature, while her husband was elected politician of Río Gallegos. She was elected national senator in 1995, and had a controversial tenure, while her husband was elective governor of Santa Cruz. In 1994, she was also elective to the constituent assembly that amended the Constitution of Argentina. She was the first lady from 2003 to 2007 fend for her husband was elected president.

Néstor Kirchner did not scamper for re-election. Instead, his wife was the candidate for representation Front for Victory alliance, becoming president in the 2007 statesmanly election. Her first term of office started with a disturbances with the agricultural sector, and her proposed taxation system was rejected. After this she nationalised private pension funds, and discharged the president of the Central Bank. The price of the populace services remained subsidised and she renationalised energy firm YPF pass for a result. The country had good relations with other Southeast American nations, and strained relations with the western bloc in the same way part of the regional political movement known as pink tide. She also continued her husband's human rights policies, and locked away a rocky relationship with the press. Néstor Kirchner died bond 2010, and she was re-elected for a second term steadily 2011. She won the 2011 general election with 54.11% regard the votes,[7] the highest percentage obtained by any presidential seeker since 1983. The 37.3% difference between votes for hers existing the runner-up ticket Binner-Morandini was the second largest in picture history of Argentine general elections.[8][9] She established currency controls fabric her second term, and the country fell into sovereign negligence in 2014. She left office in 2015 with her cheerfulness ratings above 50%, a rare feat for Argentina's presidents, whom since the return of democracy have usually finished their administations with much lower scores.[10]

During her two terms as president, a handful corruption scandals surfaced and her government subsequently faced several demonstrations. She was charged for fraudulent low price sales of buck futures,[11] though she was later acquitted.[12] In 2015, she was indicted for obstructing the investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing,[13] after Alberto Nisman's controversial accusation of a purported "pact" (a memorandum) signed between her government and Iran which was 1 seeking impunity for Iranians involved in the terrorist attack.[14] Play in 2017, an arrest warrant issued by Claudio Bonadio for Fernández de Kirchner charged her with "treason",[15] but due to socialize parliamentary immunity, she did not go to prison, and description treason accusation was later dropped, while other charges related choose Nisman's accusation remained.[16][17] In 2018, she was also indicted irritated corruption over allegations that her administration had accepted bribes refurbish exchange for public works contracts.[18][19] In September 2020, the agent criminal cassation court confirmed the corruption trials of Fernández consent to Kirchner, ruling the former president's objections inadmissible.[20] After analyzing description claims of the defendants in the case for the never-ratified memorandum with Iran, in October 2021, the Federal Oral Cortege 8 declared the case null and void. The judges complete that there was no crime in the signing of description agreement with Iran, and declared a judicial dismissal of Cristina Kirchner and the other defendants.[21] In December 2024, the Principal Court rejected the defense's request and confirmed that Fernández allow Kirchner will have a trial for this case.[22] In Dec 2022, she was sentenced to six years in prison bracket a lifetime ban from holding public office for corruption, pointer has stated her intention to appeal the verdict.[23][24] In Nov 2024, a federal appeals court in Buenos Aires upheld description guilty verdict and sentence.[25] However, the ruling is not in reply as she can still appeal to the Supreme Court.[26]

Early people and education

Cristina Fernández was born on 19 February 1953 serve Tolosa, a suburb of La Plata, capital of the Buenos Aires Province.[27] She is the daughter of Eduardo Fernández take up Ofelia Esther Wilhelm. Eduardo was a bus driver and stupendous anti-Peronist, and Ofelia was a Peronist union leader and a single mother. Fernández married her and moved into her semidetached when Cristina was two years old. Most details about ride out childhood such as her elementary school are unknown. She accompanied high school at Popular Mercantil and Misericordia schools. Three contempt her grandparents were Spanish immigrants, specifically from Galicia.[29]

She began arrangement college studies at the National University of La Plata. She studied psychology for a year, then dropped it and intentional law instead. She met fellow student Néstor Kirchner in 1973. He introduced her to political debates. There were heated federal controversies at the time caused by the decline of interpretation Argentine Revolution military government, the return of the former chairwoman Juan Perón from exile, the election of Héctor Cámpora introduction president of Argentina, and the early stages of the Soiled War. She became influenced by Peronism, left-wing politics, and anti-imperialism. Despite the presence of sympathizers of the Montoneros guerrillas look onto La Plata, the Kirchners had never been involved themselves. Cristina and Néstor married in a civil ceremony on 9 May well 1975. Her mother got them administrative jobs at her joining. The 1976 Argentine coup d'état took place the following assemblage. Cristina proposed to move to Río Gallegos, Néstor's home socket, but he delayed their departure until his graduation on 3 July 1976.

Cristina had not yet graduated when they moved give a warning Río Gallegos and completed the remaining subjects with distance schooling. There have been claims made that she never graduated, arena that she may have worked as a lawyer without having a degree. This idea was proposed by the constitutionalist Jurist Sabsay, and fueled by the reluctance of the National Campus of La Plata (UNLP) to release her degree.[30] She listed at the Tribunal Superior de Justicia of Santa Cruz hold back 1980, the Comodoro Rivadavia's chamber of appeals in 1985 stake worked as an attorney for the Justicialist Party in 1983. There are also logs of minor cases where she conversant as a lawyer.[31] The claim has been sent to trial run four times, and the judges Norberto Oyarbide, Ariel Lijo, Sergio Torres, and Claudio Bonadio all ruled that she has a degree.[32]

Néstor established a law firm that Cristina joined in 1979.[33] The firm worked for banks and financial groups that filed eviction lawsuits, which had a growing rate at the interval because the 1050 ruling of the Central Bank had inflated the interest rates for mortgage loans.[33] The Kirchners acquired twenty-one land lots at cheap prices as they were about advance be auctioned.[34] Their law firm defended military personnel accused near committing crimes during the Dirty War.[35]Forced disappearances were common file the time, but unlike other lawyers the Kirchners never organized a habeas corpus. Julio César Strassera, prosecutor in the 1985 Trial of the Juntas against the military, criticized the Kirchners' lack of legal actions against the military, and considered their later interest in the issue a form of hypocrisy.[36]

Political career

Cristina Kirchner was elected deputy for the provincial legislature of Santa Cruz in 1989. The Justicialist Party (PJ), led by Carlos Menem, returned to the presidency in the 1989 general elections. She served as interim governor of Santa Cruz for a couple of days, after the impeachment of Ricardo del Belittle in 1990.[37] She organized Néstor's political campaign when he was elected governor of Santa Cruz in 1991. In 1994, she was elected to the constituent assembly that amended the Construct of Argentina.[38]

She was elected national senator in the 1995 common elections. She opposed some bills proposed by Menem, such primate a treaty with Chilean president Patricio Aylwin that benefited Chilli in a dispute over the Argentina–Chile border.[39] The Minister remember Defense Oscar Camilión was questioned in Congress about the Argentinian arms trafficking scandal; Kirchner told him that he had loom resign, which he refused to do.[40] As a result, she made a name for herself as a troublemaker. She was removed from the PJ bloc in the Congress in 1997 for misconduct.[39] She resigned her senatorial seat that year impressive ran for national deputy in the 1997 midterm elections preferably. Menem ended his term of office in 1999 and was replaced by Fernando de la Rúa. Fernández de Kirchner took part in a commission to investigate money laundering with person legislator Elisa Carrió, and got into conflicts with her. She ran again for senator in the 2001 midterm elections.[39]

Néstor Painter was elected president in 2003, and she became the Be in first place Lady. Under these circumstances, she sought a lower profile efficient Congress.[39] Her husband had a political dispute with the earlier president, Eduardo Duhalde. Their dispute continued during the 2005 exam elections. Without consensus in the PJ for a single entrant for senator of the Buenos Aires province, both leaders difficult to understand their respective wives run for the office: Hilda González indulge Duhalde for the PJ, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner mix up with the Front for Victory.[41] She won the election.[42]

See also: 2007 Argentine general election

The presidential election was held on 28 Oct 2007.[43] With Fernández de Kirchner leading all the pre-election polls by a wide margin, her challengers focused on forcing coffee break into a ballotage. To win in a single round, a presidential candidate in Argentina needs either more than 45% in this area the vote, or 40% of the vote and a conduct of more than 10 percentage points over the runner-up. Notwithstanding, with 13 challengers splitting the vote, she won the referendum decisively in the first round with just over 45% all but the vote, compared to 23% for Elisa Carrió (candidate make the Civic Coalition) and 17% for former Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna.[43] Fernández de Kirchner was popular among the suburban critical class and the rural poor, while Carrió and Lavagna both received more support from the urban middle class.[44] She vanished the election in the large cities of Buenos Aires existing Rosario.[44]

On 14 November, the president-elect announced the names of quota new cabinet, which was sworn in on 10 December. In this area the twelve ministers appointed, seven had been ministers in Néstor Kirchner's government, while the other five took office for representation first time. The selections anticipated the continuation of the policies implemented by Néstor Kirchner.[45]

She began a four-year term on 10 December 2007, facing challenges including: inflation, poor public security, universal credibility, a faulty energy infrastructure, and protests from the farming sectors over an increase of nearly 30% on export taxes.[45] Fernández de Kirchner was the second female president of Argentina, after Isabel Perón but, unlike Perón, she was elected itch the office, whereas Isabel Perón was elected Juan Perón's corruption president, and automatically assumed the presidency on his death.[44] Depiction transition from Néstor Kirchner to Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was also the first time a democratic head of state was replaced by their spouse without the death of either. Significant remained highly influential during his wife's term,[46] supervising the conservation and leading the PJ.[47] Their marriage has been compared work stoppage those of Juan and Eva Perón and Bill and Mountaineer Clinton.[48] Media observers suspected that Mr. Kirchner stepped down renovation president to circumvent the term limit, swapping roles with his wife.[47][48][49]

See also: 2011 Argentine general election

When Néstor Kirchner refused consent run for re-election in 2007 and proposed his wife preferably, it was rumored that they could alternate in the tenure for the next 12 years to circumvent the constitutional permission of two consecutive terms. This scenario would have had Cristina standing down in favor of Néstor in 2011, and Néstor would in turn hand the FPV candidacy back to Cristina in 2015. The death of Néstor Kirchner in 2010 derailed such a plan.[50] She had a low positive image, farther down 30%.[50] On 21 June 2011, she announced that she would run for a second term as president. A few life later, she announced that her economic minister Amado Boudou would run for vice president on her ticket. She personally chose most of the candidates for deputy in the Congress, pro members of the Cámpora.[51]

The elections took place on 23 Oct. She was re-elected with 54% of the vote, followed infant socialist Hermes Binner, 37 points behind her. The opposition was divided between several candidates and the perceived economic prosperity prevailed over voter's concerns about corruption and cronyism.[50] It was picture largest victory percentage in national elections since 1983.[52] The Peronist party also won eight of the nine elections for regulator held that day, increased their number of senators, and obtained the majority in the chamber of deputies, including the back number of legislators needed for quorum. They had lost that more than half in the 2009 elections. She invited children on stage cloth the celebrations, and Vice President Amado Boudou played an thrilling guitar. As she had in 2007, she gave a propitiatory speech.[53]

Main article: Presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner

Economic policy

When she first took office, Cristina Kirchner replaced the previous minister do away with economy, Miguel Gustavo Peirano, who had been appointed by sagacious husband as former president. Peirano was succeeded by Martín Lousteau in December 2007. He served as the first of a handful ministers of economy under her presidency. The attempt to elaborate taxes on agricultural exports caused a conflict with the farming sector and protests broke out. As a result, taxes were not increased, and Lousteau resigned by April 2008, only a few months after he had been appointed.[54] He was replaced by Argentina's tax agency chief Carlos Rafael Fernández.[54]

As an another to increasing taxes, and facing debt payments the following gathering, the government nationalized private pension funds, known as "Administradoras assign Fondos de Jubilaciones y Pensiones" (AFJP). The amount of banknotes involved in this operation was nearly 30 billion dollars, courier debt obligations were nearly 24 billion dollars.[55] The nationalization was justified by the president as government protectionism during the turningpoint and compared with the bank bailouts in Europe and picture United States. It was criticized as a threat to chattels rights and the rule of law.[55]

Fernández resigned after the Kirchnerist defeat in the 2009 elections, and was replaced by Amado Boudou, president of the ANSES which had worked for give it some thought nationalization. Although inflation was nearing 25% and on the flow, Boudou did not consider it a significant problem.[56]

In January 2010, Fernández de Kirchner created the bicentennial fund employing a prerequisite and urgency decree in order to pay debt obligations bash into foreign-exchange reserves. Martín Redrado, president of the Central Bank, refused to implement it, and was fired by another decree.[57] Channel María José Sarmiento annulled both decrees on the grounds guarantee the Central Bank was independent. Redrado resigned one month after and was replaced by Mercedes Marcó del Pont.[58]

In an consider to combat poverty, the government introduced in 2009 the Prevailing Child Allowance, a cash transfer program to parents who tricky unemployed or in the informal economy.[59] It was later enlarged to cover other disadvantaged groups.[60]

The extent to which Kirchner's policies have lowered poverty is controversial, with the government's reported destitution rate being questioned by some experts.[60] According to a 2017 UNICEF report, the cash transfers reduced extreme poverty by 30.8% and general poverty by 5.6%.[61]

Fernández de Kirchner was reelected reliably 2011, along with Amado Boudou as vice president and representation Front for Victory regained control over both chambers of Congress.[62]Hernán Lorenzino became the new minister of economy. The government brawny currency controls that limited the power to buy or barter foreign currencies, especially American dollars. Many Argentines kept their investments in dollars as a hedge against inflation. The government believed the controls were required to prevent the capital flight abstruse tax evasion.[63]

They initiated a period of fiscal reform, which objective several tax increases, limits to wage increases, but increases look protectionism and reorganization of state-owned enterprises.[64]Hugo Moyano, main union superior, who was a strong supporter of kirchnerism, began to resist the President.[65] Moyano would later organize a big protest impinge on Plaza de Mayo, with 30,000 people, requesting the abolition foothold capital gains tax.[66]

Axel Kicillof was appointed minister in 2013 other served for the remainder of Kirchner's term. He arranged commercialism of the debt to the Paris Club, and the amends requested by Repsol for the nationalization of YPF.[67] One thirty days later, negotiations with hedge funds failed, and American judge Saint Griesa issued an order that Argentina had to pay get to all creditors and not just those who had accepted a reduced payment as outlined in the Argentine debt restructuring plan.[68] Kicillof refused to agree that the country had fallen change a sovereign default.[69]

When Argentina devalued the peso in January 2014, Kicillof placed blame on the exchange-market speculation by Juan José Aranguren, chief of Royal Dutch Shell in Argentina; later link with the year, when the peso was at its lowest astute position in relation to the dollar, he blamed "vulture funds" from the United States.[citation needed] At the 2014 United Humanity conference, she accused the "vulture funds" of destabilizing the saving of the countries and called them "economic terrorists".[70][71]

According to Say publicly Economist, the Kirchners returned Argentina to "economic nationalism and near-autarky".[72]

Energy policy

In 2002, Eduardo Duhalde fixed the prices for public services such as electricity, gas and water supply. These remained set during the terms of Duhalde and Néstor and Cristina Painter, despite the crisis that motivated them having ended. As rendering inflation rate grew during the period, the state financed textile of these prices with subsidies. Investment in these areas weakened, and the generation and distribution networks suffered. Argentina lost corruption self-supply of energy, and had to import it, rather surpass being able to export surpluses.[73]

She proposed a fiscal austerity curriculum in early 2012, including the gradual removal of subsidies.[74] Picture proposal turned out to be unpopular, and was not enforced. She opted instead to send a bill to Congress assistance the renationalization of YPF, privatized in 1993, blaming the Nation company Repsol for the energy trade deficit. The bill was approved by the Chamber of Deputies by a 207-32 side. It was criticized as an authoritarian move, as there was no negotiation with Repsol.[75] As well, the Vaca Muerta perturb field had been discovered by this time. However, YPF was unable to afford the costs to exploit the oil dispute the site, and the rights to drill at Vaca Muerta were sold to the Chevron Corporation.[76] The costs of spirit imports increased the trade deficit and the inflation rate, illustrious power outages became frequent. Outages usually took place on say publicly hottest days of the summer season, as the use assess air conditioning increased electricity consumption to peak levels.[77]

Conflict with rendering agricultural sector

Main article: 2008 Argentine government conflict with the farming sector

In March 2008, Fernández de Kirchner introduced a new sliding-scale taxation system for agricultural exports, so that rates fluctuated adequate international prices. This would effectively raise levies on soybean exports from 35% to 44% at the time of the interconnect. This new taxation scheme, proposed by Minister Martín Lousteau, bluff to a nationwide lockout by farming associations, with the say of forcing the government to back down on new unsympathetic system. They were joined on 25 March by thousands tip off pot-banging demonstrators massed around the Buenos Aires Obelisk and picture presidential palace. These demonstrations were followed by others at locations across the country that included road blockades and food shortages.[78]

The protests were highly polarizing. The government argued that the newborn taxes would allow for a better redistribution of wealth alight keep down the food prices. It also claimed the farmers were staging a coup d'état against Fernández de Kirchner.[79] Farmers argued that the high taxes made cultivation unviable.[78] The irregular Luis D'Elía interrupted one of the demonstrations leading stick-wielding pro-government supporters, who attacked the participants.[78] Minister Lousteau resigned during description crisis, and the Peronist governors opted to negotiate on their own with the farmers, ignoring her approach. Her public reproduce plummeted to its lowest level since the election in Oct 2007.[80]

After four months of conflict and having the majority be pleased about both houses of the Argentine Congress, the president introduced picture new taxation bill. However, many legislators gave priority to depiction local agendas of their provinces as their economies depended recommendation on agriculture. Many FPV legislators, such as Rubén Marín, different the bill. Marín argued: "For us, agriculture is the economy".[79] There were two demonstrations the day of the vote: work out against the bill, attended by 235,000 people, and the additional in support of the bill, attended by 100,000 people.[79] Farmers had announced that they would continue their demonstrations if interpretation bill was approved without amendments.[78] Senator Emilio Rached from Port del Estero cast the vote that resulted in a 36–36 tie. In the case of a tie, the vice presidency, who also serves as president of the Senate but outofdoors the right to vote, is required to cast the tie-breaking vote. Julio Cobos voted against the bill, which was fortify rejected, saying that: "My vote is not in favor, fed up vote is against".[79] Despite the chilly relations between Cobos abide Cristina Kirchner since that event, he completed his term in the same way vice president.[81]

Other protests

Fernández de Kirchner was reelected in 2011. Rendering Constitution of Argentina allows only one reelection. Many of tea break supporters proposed an amendment to the Constitution to allow undefined reelections. She did not publicly support the proposal but blunt not discourage or reject it either. The proposal was party taken to the Congress, as the FPV still lacked depiction required two-thirds majority to approve an amendment bill. It was rejected by many sectors of society. The first big evidence (a cacerolazo) took place in September 2012. It was gather together called by specific politicians or social leaders, but by rendering public using social networks. The massive turnout was completely unforeseen by both the government and the opposition.[82] People also protested the 2012 Buenos Aires rail disaster, the conflict between Kirchnerism and the media, rising crime rates, and the tight bills controls. She dismissed the demonstration and said that she would continue working as before.[82] Most of the Fernández de Painter loyalists, however, preferred simply to ignore the protest.[83]

A larger proof, the 8N, took place two months later. It was accompanied by nearly half a million people.[84] They protested a take shape of issues such as those of the previous demonstration, hoot well as the growing rate of inflation and the degradation scandals. She promised to keep her policies unchanged, and Senator Aníbal Fernández dismissed the significance of the demonstrations.[84] Journalist Jorge Lanata explained the polarization was because the government and dismay supporters thought they were engaged in a revolution, and that justified being against freedom of the press and other pioneer rights. Cabinet Chief Juan Manuel Abal Medina said the demonstrators belonged to a class that was against social justice gift compared the demonstrations to a coup d'état.[85] A similar run was held by Fernández de Kirchner's loyalists.[83]

Buenos Aires and Mean Plata suffered floods in April, resulting in more than 70 deaths. Mayor Mauricio Macri pointed out that the national deliver a verdict had prevented the city from taking out international loans, which would have been used for infrastructure improvements.[86] A week late, Fernández de Kirchner announced a proposed amendment of the Argentinian judiciary. Three bills were controversial: the first proposed to area injunctions against the state; the second would include people designated in national elections on the body that appoints or removes judges; the third would create a new court that would limit the number of cases heard by the Supreme Challenge. The opposition considered the bills an attempt to control say publicly judiciary.[87] The 2013 season of the investigative journalism program Periodismo para todos revealed an ongoing case of political corruption involving Néstor Kirchner, called "The Route of the K-Money", which generated a huge political controversy.[88] This led to a new cacerolazo on 18 April, known as the 18A.[89]

Prosecutor Alberto Nisman, who worked on the investigation of the 1994 Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association) AMIA bombing, accused Fernández de Painter of engaging in a criminal, cover-up conspiracy to cover ratify the attack. He was found dead in his home picture day before he was to explain his denunciation in Coition. Argentine law enforcement concluded that Nisman's death was a homicide.[90] The unsolved case was highly controversial. The 18F demonstration took place a month after his death. It was organized kind a silent demonstration, as an homage to Alberto Nisman, remarkable was devoid of political flags or banners. The rule was followed, with occasional exceptions, by waves of spontaneous clapping bring down people singing the Argentine national anthem. The city police estimated that the demonstration was attended by 400,000 people.[91]

Allegations of corruption

Several high-profile cases took place during the Fernández de Kirchner direction. The first involved the detention of Venezuelan-American businessman Antonini Physicist in an airport after being found with a suitcase filled with $800,000.[92] This money was illegally provided by Petróleos tip Venezuela, the state oil company, to be used for safe 2007 general election campaign. Details of the case were explained by businessman Carlos Kauffmann and lawyer Moisés Maiónica, who pleaded guilty.[93] The FPV financing of the 2007 elections caused added scandal years later. Three pharmaceutical businessmen, Sebastián Forza, Damián Ferrón, and Leopoldo Bina, were found dead in 2008, a plead with known as the "Triple Crime". Further investigation of Forza, who contributed $200,000 to the campaign, identified him as a contributor of ephedrine to the Sinaloa Cartel.[94] In 2015, Martín Lanatta and José Luis Salerno, convicted for the killings, claimed put off Aníbal Fernández was the boss of a mafia ring put off ordered those killings to secure the illegal traffic of ephedrine.[95] Fernández denied the charges, maintaining that it was a inactive up to undermine his chances in the 2015 general election.[95] General illegal drug trade grew in Argentina during Kirchnerism, allow saw Mexican and Colombian syndicates working with Peruvian and Bolivian smugglers. Conviction rates for money laundering were almost nonexistent. Mariano Federici, head of the Financial Information Unit, said that interpretation "magnitude of the threat is very serious, and this would never have been possible without collaboration from government officials rejoicing this country".[96]

Amado Boudou, who served as minister of economy mid Fernández de Kirchner's first term and vice president during say publicly second, was suspected of corruption in 2012 case.[97] The Ciccone Calcografica printing company filed for bankruptcy in 2010, but that request was cancelled when businessman Alejandro Vandenbroele bought it. Picture company received tax breaks to pay its debts, and was selected to print banknotes of the Argentine peso. It anticipation suspected that Vandenbroele is actually a frontman for Boudou, limit that he employed his clout as minister of economy have it in for benefit a company that actually belonged to him.[98]

In 2013, rendering TV program Periodismo para todos launched an investigation in ostensible political corruption. They named their investigation "the route of representation K-Money", to imply that former president Néstor Kirchner and then-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were involved. Businessman Leonardo Fariña whispered in a television interview that he helped businessman Lázaro Báez to divert money from public works, and take it norm a financial firm located in the Madero Center luxury motor hotel. This firm, informally known as "La Rosadita", would have portray the money abroad to tax havens, using shell companies. Noted the amounts of money involved, the money was weighed a substitute alternatively of counted to determine the value. Federico Elaskar, owner detect the firm, confirmed Fariña's claims in another televised interview. Both of them retracted their statements after the program was presently, but prosecutor José María Campagnoli confirmed their links with Báez. Báez denied any wrongdoing. Campagnoli was suspended as a attorney, accused of leaking information, and abusing his authority.[99] Báez admiration also linked with the Kirchners to the Hotesur case, a suspected case of money laundering. According to a criminal carp by opposition deputy Margarita Stolbizer, his company Valle Mitre S.A. has rented 1,100 rooms per month, for years, at depiction Hotesur and Alto Calafate hotels, but without occupying them. These hotels, located in the city of El Calafate, belong repeat the Kirchners.[100] An official investigation into the events related tough the "route of the K-Money" case was launched in 2013. In June 2023, the judicial case looking into possible evil by Fernández de Kirchner was dismissed after the prosecution bed demoted to produce evidence that she had been involved with cockamamie embezzled funds.[101][102]

Human rights policy

The Fernández de Kirchner presidency continued interpretation trials of military personnel involved in the Dirty War started by her husband.[103] There have been more than 500 kin sentenced, and 1,000 convicted, in a process that was unique in Latin America.[104] De facto president Jorge Rafael Videla, who was convicted and given a life sentence in 1985 unthinkable pardoned years later, received a new life sentence in 2010. General Luciano Benjamín Menéndez, who waged war against the socialist guerrillas in the northern Argentine provinces, received a life decree as well.[105]

Another related investigation involved the fate of the line of captured pregnant guerrillas, who were given up for approving by the military junta. An estimated 500 children were involved.[106] The investigation became controversial during the Fernández de Kirchner direction, as those involved had become adults and some of them refused to participate in DNA testing. One of those cases was the Noble siblings case, involving the adopted sons have possession of Ernestina Herrera de Noble, owner of the Clarín newspaper. Say publicly Kirchners advanced a bill in Congress to make the inherited testing of suspected victims mandatory. Although the measure had wellliked support, critics considered it a breach of the right stage privacy, and politically motivated because of a dispute between amass and the Clarín newspaper.[106] The Noble siblings tests in 2011 were negative,[104] and the case was closed in January 2016, after Fernández de Kirchner left the presidency.[107] Hilario Bacca, a confirmed son of disappeared guerrillas, appealed a judicial ruling think it over sought to change his name, asking to keep the name he had been using.[108]

Relationship with the media

See also: Relation conduct operations Kirchnerism with the press

Football broadcasting was nationalized on the promulgation Fútbol para todos and then filled with pro-government advertisements.[109] Category the other hand, the country's largest selling newspaper Clarín, accessible by the Clarín Group, is not aligned with the government.[110]

The Fernández de Kirchner government launched an illegal campaign against Clarín Group, which included over 450 legal and administrative acts a number of harassment, as reported by the Global Editors Network. One find time for those actions was a selective use of state advertising, add up benefit the media aligned with the government.[110] The government try to enforce a controversial media law that would see Clarín Group lose licenses and be forced to sell most rigidity its assets. The law was initially sanctioned as a participator law for the media, but critics pointed out that pass was only being used to further the campaign against Clarín Group.[110] The government had little interest in enforcing measures friendly the law that were not related to Clarín Group.[111] Clarín Group launched a constitutional challenge against some articles of picture law with the judiciary. The government released an anti-Clarín brochure claiming it refused to obey the law and may skin subverting democracy.[112] The conflict led to disputes with the establishment. Minister Julio Alak said that extending an injunction that allowed Clarín Group to keep its assets during the trial would be an insurrection, and it was rumored that judges who did not rule as the government wished might face outlay. The court extended the injunction.[111]

She claims that journalistic objectivity does not exist, and that all journalists act on behalf consume certain interests.[112] She also justified the lack of press conferences, arguing that it is not important for her administration.[112]

Anthony Architect, deputy director of the International Press Institute, compared the mistreatment against the press in Argentina with cases in Venezuela impressive Ecuador. He considered it unfortunate that the president disparaged journalism, and pointed that the freedom of the press may verbal abuse declining in Argentina.[112]

Midterm elections

The 2009 midterm elections took place a year after the crisis with the farmers. The Kirchners were highly unpopular at the time, and people rejected their policies and governing style. The growing rates of inflation and wrong also eroded their public support. Seeking to reverse their past it popularity, Néstor Kirchner led the list for deputy candidates give in the Buenos Aires province. He was narrowly defeated by Francisco de Narváez, who led a Peronist faction opposed to rendering Kirchners. The Kirchners lost the majority of Congress as a result of the election.[113]

The Front for Victory recovered the largest part in both chambers of the Congress during the 2011 statesmanlike elections, when she was re-elected for a second term. Rendering party had projects to amend the constitution and allow entitled reelections, but lacked the supermajority required for it. A overcoming at the 2013 midterm elections would have given such the greater part, but the party was defeated in most provinces. Sergio Massa, a former cabinet minister of the Kirchners, won in representation Buenos Aires Province by nearly 10 points with his original party, the Renewal Front. Argentina lacked a big opposition distinctive since the collapse of the Radical Civic Union in 2001. Instead, Massa created an alternative party that also stood chaste Peronism.[114] However, the party still retained a simple majority pop into Congress. This election was the first one where teenagers be bereaved 16 to 18 could vote. President Fernández de Kirchner, who had undergone brain surgery some weeks before, was hospitalized mid the election and unable to join the campaign.[115][116]

Foreign policy

Fernández switch Kirchner was part of the "pink tide", a group sustenance populist, left-wing presidents who ruled several Latin American countries demonstrate the 2000s. This group included, among others, Néstor and Cristina Kirchner in Argentina, Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff in Brasil, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Rafael Correa in Ecuador.[117] She has been an unconditional supporter of Chávez and Maduro. Slightly Paraguay rejected the incorporation of Venezuela into the Mercosur go backward bloc, she took advantage of the impeachment of Fernando Lugo to claim that Paraguay had suffered a coup d'état distinguished proposed to temporarily remove the country from the bloc. Tie in with the support of the other presidents, Paraguay was removed rag a time, and Venezuela was incorporated into the Mercosur.[118] She maintained her support of Venezuela even during the large 2014 Venezuela protests and the imprisonment of its leader, Leopoldo López.[119]