114-562: Néstor Carlos Kirchner Ostoić ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈnestoɾ ˈkaɾlos ˈkiɾʃneɾ] ; 25 February 1950 – 27 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007. A member of the Justicialist Party , he previously served as Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, and mayor of Río Gallegos from 1987 to 1991. He later served as
228-722: A case of embezzlement and an associated money trail involving the Kirchners and businessman Lázaro Báez . Báez received 95 percent of the requests for tender in Santa Cruz province since 2003, more than four billion pesos, and the scandal was known as the Route of the K-Money (Spanish: La ruta del dinero K ). In the 2014 Hotesur scandal , a company owned by Báez rented more than 1,100 rooms per month at Kirchner family hotels even when they were unoccupied. A money-laundering scheme
342-466: A constitution. This established the Supreme Director as head of state and vested the position with presidential powers. This constitution gave the supreme director the power of appointing governors of the provinces. Owing to political circumstances, this constitution never came into force, and the central power was dissolved, leaving the country as a federation of provinces. A new constitution
456-408: A disregard for bilateral relations whenever these interfered with his domestic policies. As such he cut down gas export to Chile in 2004 despite Chilean protests, clashed with Uruguay over the environmental impact of a planned pulp mill and had trade disputes with Brazil. During his tenure Kirchner left in the lurch numerous World leaders, including President of Vietnam Trần Đức Lương . Kirchner
570-591: A group of FARC hostages, including Colombian politician Íngrid Betancourt . Kirchner returned to Argentina after negotiations failed. The hostages were freed a year later during Operation Jaque , a covert operation by the Colombian military. Néstor Kirchner played an active role in the 2008 government conflict with the agricultural sector , when Cristina Kirchner introduced a new sliding-scale taxation system for agricultural exports that raised custom taxes to soybean exports to 44%. At that time, he became president of
684-600: A high exchange rate for the United States dollar. The surplus was increased by taxes levied during de la Rúa's presidency and the devaluation which occurred during the Duhalde administration. Kirchner sought to rebuild the Argentine industrial base, public works and public services, renegotiating the operation of public services privatized by Carlos Menem and owned by foreign companies. His policies were accompanied by
798-519: A law firm. Commentators have criticized him for a lack of legal activism during the Dirty War , an issue he would involve himself in as president. Kirchner ran for mayor of Río Gallegos in 1987 and for governor of Santa Cruz in 1991. He was reelected governor in 1995 and 1999 due to an amendment of the provincial constitution. Kirchner sided with Buenos Aires provincial governor Eduardo Duhalde against President Carlos Menem . Although Duhalde lost
912-649: A local hospital and was pronounced dead at 9:15 a.m. from cardiac arrest. He had undergone two medical procedures that year: surgery on his right carotid artery in February and an angioplasty in September. His death was a surprise for the Argentine population, to whom he had always represented his heart problems as not very serious. His body was flown to the Casa Rosada for a state funeral, and three national days of mourning were declared. Kirchner's funeral
1026-430: A majority of the vote to win the presidency in a single round. To win the election in the first round, the winning candidate's party must receive either more than 45 percent of so-called "positive votes", or votos positivos (Section 97) or at least 40 percent of positive votes and be more than 10 percentage points ahead of the next most-voted candidate (Section 98). Positive votes are valid votes cast for any of
1140-427: A nationalist rhetoric sympathetic to the poor. However, despite the financial prosperity, there was no significant decrease in the number of people living in poverty, which was 8 to 10 million people, or almost 25% of the country. Kirchner and Lavagna negotiated a swap of defaulted national debt in 2005, a write-down to one-third of the original debt. Kirchner refused a structural adjustment program , and instead made
1254-563: A new election and refused to sanction a runoff election between Kirchner and López Murphy, although López Murphy said he would not have participated in any event. The election was validated by the Congress, and Kirchner became president on 25 May 2003. Kirchner's 22.2 percent is the lowest vote percentage ever recorded for an Argentine president in a free election. Local elections were held in October. The mayor of Buenos Aires, Aníbal Ibarra ,
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#17327768966211368-444: A private Bombardier Global 5000 . Following military coups that overthrew the constitutional government were de facto military presidents in 1930–1932, 1943–1946, 1955–1958, 1966–1973 and 1976–1983 that brought in addition to the powers of the president also corresponding to Congress. The subsequent analysis of the validity of their actions led to the subsequent formulation of the doctrine of de facto governments. That doctrine
1482-408: A result. The Supreme Court declared the laws, and Menem's presidential pardons , unconstitutional in 2005. Jorge Julio López, witness in a trial of police officer Miguel Etchecolatz , disappeared in 2006. This caused a national scandal, as it was suspected that he was disappeared to intimidate other witnesses in the upcoming trials, and the government was unable to locate him. Kirchner also changed
1596-545: A single payment to the IMF with Central Bank reserves. Although the economy grew at an eight-percent annual rate during Kirchner's term, much of its growth was due to favorable international conditions rather than Argentine policies. Argentina was benefited by the increase of the international price of soybean and other foods. However, some argued that this economic growth can also be attributed to Kirchners policies to increase domestic demand. Foreign investment remained low because of
1710-449: A stronger opposition to Menem within the PJ. The number of state workers grew from 12,000 to 70,000 during Kirchner's administration. The creation of private-sector jobs in the province was minimal, and private companies were driven away. A local journalist interviewed by journalist Jorge Lanata said that this placed de facto restrictions on economic freedom and allowed Kirchner to control
1824-575: A tape recording of Skanska employees discussing the bribes. The case was closed in 2011, when it was ruled that the tape was not acceptable evidence and there was no overpricing. It was reopened in 2016 (with Cristina Fernández de Kirchner no longer president), and the tape was accepted as evidence. The Kirchners' net worth, as reported to the AFIP revenue service, increased by 4,500 percent between 1995 and 2010. A substantial increase occurred in 2008, from 26.5 million to 63.5 million Argentine pesos , due to
1938-603: A teacher, but poor diction hampered him; he was also unsuccessful at basketball. Kirchner moved to La Plata in 1969 to study law at the National University . During this period, the decline of the Argentine Revolution , the return of former president Juan Perón from exile, the election of Héctor Cámpora as president, his resignation and the election of Perón, and the beginning of the Dirty War had led to severe political turmoil. Kirchner joined
2052-657: A victory for Kirchner, and signaled the end of Duhalde's supremacy in Buenos Aires Province. Instead of seeking reelection, Kirchner stepped aside in 2007 in support of his wife, who was elected president. He participated in Operation Emmanuel to release FARC hostages, and was narrowly defeated in the 2009 midterm election for deputy of Buenos Aires Province. Kirchner was appointed Secretary General of UNASUR in 2010. He and his wife were involved (either directly or through their close aides) in
2166-479: A year later, returned to Patagonia with Cristina, and established a law firm with fellow attorney Domingo Ortiz de Zarate. Cristina joined the firm in 1979. By the time of Kirchner's graduation and move to Patagonia, Juan Perón had died, his vice president and wife, Isabel Perón , had become president. Isabel Perón was unseated by a coup d'état which installed a military government. The Kirchners worked for banks and financial groups which filed foreclosures , since
2280-414: Is no limit on how many times a candidate may seek the presidency if they are unsuccessful. The same rules apply, mutatis mutandis , to the vice presidency of Argentina. Under the constitution of 1853, the president served for six years, with no possibility of consecutive reelection. In 1949, the constitution was amended to allow the president to run for an unlimited number of six-year terms. This provision
2394-514: The Junta Grande when representatives from the provinces joined. These early attempts at self-government were succeeded by two Triumvirates and, although the first juntas had presidents, the king of Spain was still regarded as head of state. Executive power was still not in the hands of a single person until the position of supreme director was created by the 1813 National Assembly . In 1817, Congress declared independence and composed
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#17327768966212508-400: The 1853 constitution for the purpose of providing a succession in case the president is unable to complete their term via death, resignation, or removal from office. The Argentine constitution (art. 88) entitles the vice president to exercise the duties of the president, both in the case of a temporary absence and in the case of a permanent absence for health reasons. In the absence of both
2622-521: The 1999 presidential election, he was appointed president by the Congress when previous presidents Fernando de la Rúa and Adolfo Rodríguez Saá resigned during the December 2001 riots . Duhalde suggested that Kirchner run for president in 2003 in a bid to prevent Menem's return to the presidency. Menem won a plurality in the first round of the presidential election but, fearing that he would lose in
2736-555: The Central Bank's 1050 ruling had raised mortgage loan interest rates, and also acquired 21 real-estate lots for a low price when they were about to be auctioned. Their law firm defended military personnel accused of committing crimes during said war. Forced disappearances were common during the Dirty War, but unlike other lawyers of the time the Kirchners never signed a habeas corpus . Julio César Strassera , prosecutor in
2850-514: The Chilean María Juana Ostoić, of Croatian descent, by telegraphy . They had three children: Néstor, Alicia , and María Cristina. Néstor was part of the third generation of Kirchners living in the city. As a result of pertussis , he developed strabismus at an early age; however, he refused medical treatment because he considered his eye part of his self-image . When Kirchner was in high school he briefly considered becoming
2964-561: The Dirty War ended in the eighties, Kirchner considered it an unresolved issue. In his inaugural speech, he supported human rights organizations which sought the incarceration of the military connected with the National Reorganization Process. He also ordered the top military leadership to retire. Kirchner sent a bill to the Congress to annul the full stop law and the Law of Due Obedience , which had halted trials of
3078-547: The Justicialist Party and publicly supported his wife in the conflict; Kirchner accused the agricultural sector of attempting a coup d'état . He spoke in support of a bill to set the taxes by law at a demonstration at the Palace of the Argentine National Congress . Many senators who had supported the government rejected the proposal, and the voting was tied 36–36. Vice-president Julio Cobos , president of
3192-778: The Mercosur trade bloc and improved relations with Brazil, but without automatically aligning with that country, the regional power of South America. The president tried to keep a middle ground between Brazil and Venezuela, since he considered the Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva too conservative, and the Venezuelan Hugo Chávez too anti-American. Kirchner worked with left-wing presidents Lula, Chilean Ricardo Lagos , Chávez, Fidel Castro from Cuba and Evo Morales from Bolivia. Kirchner soon distanced himself from Duhalde, removing those close to
3306-561: The Presidential Air Group : The main aircraft was a Boeing 757 known as Tango 01 after its military registry: "T-01" (the "T" stands for "Transport", although it is fortuitously pronounced "Tango", as in the Argentine national dance , in the NATO alphabet ). The 757 entered the service in 1995 replacing the former T-01, a Boeing 707 . The aircraft was nicknamed Virgen de Luján after Argentina's patron saint . The Tango 01
3420-553: The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), but was rejected by Uruguay when Uruguay and Argentina were involved in a pulp-mill dispute . The dispute was resolved in 2010; new Uruguayan president José Mujica supported Kirchner, who was unanimously elected UNASUR's first secretary-general at a member-state summit in Buenos Aires on 4 May. Kirchner successfully mediated the 2010 Colombia–Venezuela diplomatic crisis . Kirchner
3534-616: The extradition policy, allowing extradition for people prosecuted abroad and not facing charges in Argentina. He also supported the requests by human rights organizations to turn the former detention centers into memorials for the disappeared. Argentina became a signatory of the UN Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity in 2003. A creative interpretation of
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3648-550: The polarization of public opinion, which became characteristic of his political style. This strategy was used against the financial sector, the military and police, foreign countries, international bodies, newspapers, and Duhalde himself with varying degrees of success. Kirchner sought to generate an image contrasting with those of former presidents Carlos Menem and Fernando de la Rúa. Menem was seen as frivolous and De la Rúa as doubtful, so Kirchner tried to be seen as serious and determined. He sought to concentrate political power, and
3762-562: The president of the Argentine Nation Spanish : Presidente de la Nación Argentina ) is both head of state and head of government of Argentina . Under the national constitution , the president is also the chief executive of the federal government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces . Throughout Argentine history, the office of head of state has undergone many changes , both in its title as in its features and powers. The current president Javier Milei
3876-463: The 15th anniversary of the 1989 attack on La Tablada barracks . According to Rosendo Fraga, Kirchner downplayed the presence of terrorist organizations during the Dirty War. Guerrillas who committed suicide or who were executed by their own organizations were re-categorized in 2006 as victims of state terrorism , and their survivors were compensated by the state. However, victims of the guerrillas were not compensated. Journalist Ceferino Reato said that
3990-614: The 1985 Trial of the Juntas case 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. The Dirty War eventually ended, and the National Reorganization Process allowed political activity in preparation for a return to democracy. Kirchner led one of the three internal factions of the local Justicialist Party (PJ), but Peronist Arturo Puricelli prevailed in
4104-482: The 1999 elections and won the 2001 legislative elections in the Buenos Aires province, the district of Argentina with the largest population. He slowly restored the economy and hastened the presidential election when two piqueteros were killed during a demonstration. However, the provincial elections were held on their original dates. Carlos Menem ran for a new term as president in 2003, and Eduardo Duhalde tried to prevent it. Instead of holding primary elections within
4218-402: The 2005 midterm elections and criticized the overpricing of public works managed by Minister of Federal Planning Julio de Vido. As a result, Kirchner asked Lavagna to resign. Finance secretary Guillermo Nielsen , who managed the debt restructuring, also resigned. Felisa Miceli , head of Banco de la Nación Argentina , replaced Lavagna as Minister of Economy. Miceli resigned in 2007, months before
4332-484: The 2013 political scandal known as the Route of the K-Money , even though no judicial investigation ever found any proof of wrongdoing by Néstor or Cristina Kirchner. Kirchner died of cardiac arrest on 27 October 2010, and received a state funeral . Kirchner was born on 25 February 1950, in Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz , a federal territory at the time. His father, Néstor Carlos Kirchner, of German-Swiss descent, met
4446-994: The Americas , hosted in Mar del Plata , ended with violent protests against U.S. President George W. Bush ; negotiations stalled, and the FTAA was not implemented. Kirchner told the United Nations that, although he opposed terrorism, he did not support the War on Terror . He refused to receive U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld , and sent forces to the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti . Kirchner sought increased integration with other Latin American countries. He revived and tried to strengthen
4560-524: The Argentine National Congress rather than Casa Rosada . He announced that he would spearhead change on many issues, from politics to culture. The ceremony was attended by the provincial governors, Supreme Court president Julio Nazareno , the heads of the armed forces, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro . Raúl Alfonsín was the only former president in attendance. Kirchner walked to the Casa Rosada along Avenida de Mayo , breaking with protocol to get close to
4674-909: The Argentine hostility towards the IMF, the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the re-nationalization of privatized companies (such as the water supply , managed by the French company Suez ), diplomatic isolation and state interventionism . The energy sector suffered, and lack of investment reduced energy reserves during the 2000s. Lavagna proposed to slow economic growth and control inflation. Kirchner rejected this, promoting wage increases to reduce economic inequality and extending unemployment insurance and other types of social welfare . Public services such as public transportation, electricity, gas and water supply were subsidized and kept at low prices. Food industries were subsidized as well. The subsidies eventually expanded to several uncommon areas. This increased
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4788-406: The Buenos Aires province were all Peronists. Victories in the other provinces gave the PJ control of the Congress, and three-quarters of Argentina's governors were Peronists. According to journalist Mariano Grondona , Argentine politics had become a dominant-party system . Kirchner took office as president of Argentina on 25 May 2003. Contrary to tradition, the ceremony was held at the Palace of
4902-627: The Chamber of Senators, cast the decisive vote in opposition to the measure. In the June 2009 legislative elections , Kirchner was defeated by Francisco de Narváez of the Union PRO coalition for National Deputy of Buenos Aires Province . The Front for Victory was defeated in the Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Córdoba, and the Kirchners lost the Congressional majority. Voter disenchantment with
5016-522: The Constitution detail the requirements: Article 89. To be elected president or vice president of the Nation, it is necessary to have born in Argentine territory, or be the son of a native citizen, having been born in a country foreign; and the other qualities required to be elected senator . Article 55. The requirements to be elected senator are: to be thirty years old, to have been a citizen of
5130-401: The Dirty War in enforcing the full-stop and due-obedience laws and the presidential pardons were repealed and declared unconstitutional. This led to new trials for the military who served during the 1970s. Argentina increased its integration with other Latin American countries, discontinuing its automatic alignment with the United States dating to the 1990s. The 2005 midterm elections were
5244-521: The Front for Victory, which contested the election as a different party. Cristina Kirchner won the election. As in 2003, the elections were defined by Peronist factions; the opposition parties could not put up a united national front. The victory gave Kirchner the confidence to remove Lavagna, Rafael Bielsa, Jose Pampuro, and Alicia Kirchner from his cabinet and replace them with ministers who, though less well-known, had perspectives closer to his own. Although
5358-594: The Heads of State and Government council for a two-year term, renewable once. A Secretary General cannot be of the same nationality in succession. The Secretary General exercises the legal representation of the UNASUR Secretariat. The officials selection for the latter requires an equitative representation between UNASUR Member States . It also requires an equitative representation, as much as possible, along gender , language and ethnic criteria. The tasks of
5472-416: The Kirchners sought to replace the theory of the two demons , which blamed the Dirty War on both the military and the guerrillas, with a "theory of angels and demons", which blamed only the military. Kirchner did not run for a reelection in the 2007 presidential elections . His wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner , ran instead. Media observers suspected that Kirchner stepped down as president to circumvent
5586-429: The Kirchners was caused by inflation, crime and the previous year's agricultural conflict, which cost them rural support. The Kirchners pushed a media law through during the Congress' lame-duck session . The Kirchners described it as an antitrust law to limit media ownership, but critics considered instead that it was used to reduce the freedom of the press . Kirchner was nominated by Ecuador for Secretary General of
5700-543: The Montoneros, he was not a member of the group. By the time the Montoneros were outlawed by Perón, he had left FURN. In 1974, Kirchner met Cristina Fernández , three years his junior, and they quickly fell in love. They were married after a courtship limited to six months by the political turmoil in the country. At the civil ceremony , Kirchner's friends sang the Peronist song "Los Muchachos Peronistas" . He graduated
5814-422: The Nation for six years, enjoy an annual income of two thousand pesos or an equivalent income, and be a native of the province that chooses it, or with two years of residence immediate in it. Sections 94 to 98 detail the electoral requirements. A modified two-round system , or ballotage , is used (Section 94). Unlike in most countries using a two-round system, presidential candidates in Argentina do not need to win
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#17327768966215928-519: The PJ, the 2003 elections used a variant of the Ley de Lemas . All the Peronist candidates were allowed to run in the general election, using their own tickets. Although Kirchner ran for president with Duhalde's support, he was not the president's first choice. Trying to prevent a third term for Menem, Duhalde approached Santa Fe governor Carlos Reutemann and Córdoba governor José Manuel de la Sota ; Reutemann declined, and De la Sota did not run because he
6042-624: The UCR, he was elected due to the Ley de Lemas that added the votes for the Peronist faction of Puricelli to his own. When Kirchner took office, Santa Cruz was experiencing an economic crisis, with high unemployment and a budget deficit equal to 1.2 billion pesos, which amounted to an equal number of U.S. dollars because of the Convertibility plan . He expanded the number of provincial Supreme Court justices from three members to five and appointed three judges loyal to him; this gave him control of
6156-682: The Union of South American Nations The Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations is the legal representative of the Secretariat of the Union of South American Nations (USAN). The position was established by the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty and the first Secretary General was designated on 4 May 2010. The Secretary General of UNASUR is proposed by the Foreign Ministers council, and designated by
6270-424: The United States and Brazil, leaving relations with Bolivia and Venezuela in the hands of Minister of Federal Planning Julio de Vido. There were no cabinet meetings during Kirchner's presidency, rare in a national government; this may have been influenced by his governance of Santa Cruz, a sparsely-populated province in which the cabinet was of little use and decisions were primarily made by the governor. Kirchner had
6384-818: The University Federation for the National Revolution (FURN), a political student group whose relationship with the Montoneros guerrillas is a matter of debate. Kirchner was not a leader of the group. He was present at the Ezeiza massacre , in which right-wing Peronist snipers opened fire on a celebration of Juan Perón's return at the Ezeiza International Airport . He was also present at the expulsion of Montoneros from Plaza de Mayo . Although Kirchner met many members of
6498-465: The armed forces. Kirchner's economic views were influenced by his tenure in the government of Santa Cruz: a province rich in oil, gas, fish and tourism, with an economy focused on the primary sector . Usually avoiding long-term policies, he moved left or right according to circumstances. A Peronist , Kirchner handled political power as Peronist leaders have traditionally done. He made frequent use of controversies with other political or social forces and
6612-561: The candidates, leaving out of the count blank and spoiled ballots. If no candidate obtains the necessary votes to win in the first round, then the two candidates with the most votes compete in the second round, held two weeks later, when the candidate with the most votes in that round is elected president. Under the 1994 constitutional amendment, the president serves for four years, with a possibility of immediate reelection for one more term. A president who has served two consecutive terms may be elected again after an interval of one term. There
6726-475: The centre-left, Duhalde appointed the centre-right Daniel Scioli as his vice-presidential candidate. Only a handful of Peronist governors supported either candidate; most remained neutral, awaiting the election to forge a relationship with the victor. The general election was held on 27 April. Menem won the first round with 24.5 percent of the vote, followed by Kirchner with 22.2 percent. The conservative Ricardo López Murphy finished third, substantially behind
6840-534: The convention by the courts allowed them to circumvent the statutory limitations to crimes committed decades in the past, and also the ex post facto applicability of laws that were not in force at the time of the crimes. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo held their final demonstration in 2006, believing that Kirchner, unlike previous presidents, was not their enemy. They became political allies of Kirchner, who placed them in prominent locations during his speeches, and
6954-455: The countries "cooperation without cohabitation" in contrast to that of the Menem era, which was known as "carnal relations". Kirchner opposed the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas , as it was based on majority rule among all the countries of the Americas, whereas he preferred a proportional representation system that would have given the Mercosur bloc more influence. The 4th Summit of
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#17327768966217068-469: The current Argentine government is that military presidents Jorge Rafael Videla and Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri were explicitly not legitimate presidents. They and their immediate successors were denied the right to a presidential pension after the conclusion of their terms. The status of earlier military presidents, however, remains more uncertain. The president of the nation has the following powers granted by Constitution (Article 99): Article 89 of
7182-508: The economic activity, but also increased inflation and reduced the private investment in those areas. Unable to control inflation, the government influenced the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina , which under-reported it, as well as poverty (which was calculated with the inflation figures). The superpowers law , sanctioned during the crisis, was prorogated and eventually made permanent in 2006; this law allowed
7296-620: The economic recovery, was kept to ensure that Kirchner maintained the economic policies laid down during the previous administration. Ginés González García stayed as Minister of Health. Anibal Fernandez was moved to the Ministry of the Interior and José Pampuro to the Defense Ministry. Kirchner brought in four members of his cabinet from his days as governor of Santa Cruz. Alberto Fernández , who organized his political campaign,
7410-508: The emergency superpowers law giving discretionary powers to the president to change the national budget was periodically renewed. The Front for Victory (conceived as a lema of the PJ) became a political alliance of the PJ, pro-Kirchner factions in other parties, and minor left-wing parties. The progressivist population, lacking leadership since the crisis which discredited the UCR , also supported
7524-574: The existing Viceroyalty of Peru , creating the new Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata . The head of state continued to be the king, but he was represented locally by the viceroy . These viceroys were seldom natives of the country. By the 18-25 May Revolution in 1810, the first Argentine autonomous government , known as the Primera Junta , was formed in Buenos Aires . It was later known as
7638-453: The federal government was undertaken by a military junta , where power was shared by the chiefs of the armed forces. In 1962, the president of the Senate ruled, but in the other cases, a military chief assumed the title of president. It is debatable whether these military presidents can properly be called presidents, as there are issues with the legitimacy of their governments. The position of
7752-472: The first ever (and still only) First Gentleman of Argentina during the first tenure of his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner . Ideologically, he identified himself as a Peronist and a progressive , with his political approach called Kirchnerism . Born in Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz , Kirchner studied law at the National University of La Plata . He met and married Cristina Fernández at this time, returned with her to Río Gallegos at graduation, and opened
7866-466: The following decades. At this time, there was no central authority, and the closest to that was the chairman of foreign relations, typically the governor of the province of Buenos Aires. The last to bear this title was Juan Manuel de Rosas , who in the last years of his governorship was elected Supreme Chief of the Confederation , gaining effective rule of the rest of the country. In 1852, Rosas
7980-430: The former president from the government to reduce his political influence. He also sought supporters across the social and political spectrum to counter Duhalde's influence in the party. Although Duhalde was not initially against Kirchner, Kirchner tried to prevent the presence of alternative leaderships within the PJ. However, they put their differences behind them during the October 2003 legislative elections. Their dispute
8094-502: The group became a powerful NGO. He appointed Nilda Garré , who had been a political prisoner during the Dirty War, as the country's first woman Minister of Defense . Although Kirchner repudiated the military forces who participated in the Dirty War, he overlooked the guerrilla movements of the time. The government ignored the 30th anniversary of the ERP attack on the tank regiment in Azul and
8208-401: The growth of the UCR in the province. Following an economic crisis , De la Rúa resigned two years later during the December 2001 riots . The Congress appointed Adolfo Rodríguez Saá , governor of San Luis, as interim president. When Rodríguez Saá also resigned, Duhalde was appointed president. He was the politician with the highest legitimacy to be appointed president, as he had placed second in
8322-496: The military and the Peronist unions which sought an amnesty for the military. Kirchner organized a rally on behalf of Rodolfo Ponce, a union leader mentioned by Alfonsín in his denouncement. Alfonsín won the 1983 presidential election , and Puricelli was elected governor of Santa Cruz. Puricelli sought to unify the local Peronist movement by adding members of the other factions into his government, and appointed Kirchner president of
8436-564: The military for crimes related to the Dirty War. The laws had been repealed in 1998, but that repeal had little legal significance, as only an annulment would reopen the cases. Although this initiative was opposed by Duhalde and Scioli, most legislators considered it a symbolic gesture since the laws' constitutionality would be decided by the Supreme Court. Both laws were annulled by the Congress in August 2003, and many cases were reopened as
8550-519: The new coalition. Most Peronists simply defected to the new party, and the end of the economic crisis and the discretionary control of state finances allowed Kirchner to discipline his allies and co-opt his rivals. As a consequence, the Congress became compliant and the opposition was unable to present a credible alternative to the government. In addition to concentrating power, Kirchner micromanaged most government tasks or assigned them to trusted aides regardless of cabinet hierarchy. He managed relations with
8664-605: The people, and was accidentally hit in the head with a camera. As he was elected with a small percentage of the vote, Kirchner sought to increase his political clout and public image. He sought political allies in all political parties, not just the PJ. The Radicales K supported him from within the UCR. This practice of reaching out to multiple parties became known as "Transversalism". Striking an "anti-establishment image", Kirchner set about creating "a sense of political renewal" in Argentina. He retained four members of Duhalde's cabinet. Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna , credited with
8778-520: The permanent absence of both the president and the vice president, due to resignation, death, or removal, the Constitution (art. 88) entitles the National Congress Assembled to select a new president from among the current senators, deputies and governors , within the following two days of the death or resignation of the former president, and to provide him or her with a mandate to call for elections . Secretary General of
8892-417: The population. Most available jobs were in public works . With Menem constitutionally restricted from running for a third presidential term, Duhalde ran for president in 1999 . Kirchner sided with Duhalde in his dispute with Menem and sought reelection as governor of Santa Cruz. The PJ was defeated on the national level by the radical Fernando de la Rúa , who became president. Kirchner was reelected, despite
9006-614: The president and the Quinta de Olivos their official residence. The president is entitled to use its staff and facilities. It has a summer residence in the town of Chapadmalal , in Buenos Aires Province , which is called the Presidential Unit Chapadmalal. The Presidential Guard is responsible for the security of the entire presidential family. To move the president uses aircraft that are part of
9120-584: The president and the vice president, the succession is regulated by the Law 20,972 ("Acephaly Law") . It provides that the executive power must be temporarily exercised (without assuming the title of president) by the provisional president of the Senate ; in his or her absence, by the president of the Chamber of Deputies ; and in the absence of both, by the president of the Supreme Court . In case of
9234-406: The president and vice president enjoy a salary paid by the national treasury, which can not be altered during the period of their appointment. During the same period, they may not hold any other office nor receive any other emolument from the nation or from any province. The president's salary is $ 131,421 Argentine pesos per month. The Casa Rosada in Buenos Aires is the official workplace of
9348-529: The president to rearrange the budget with supervision from the Congress. Kirchner sought to win over the Argentine Workers' Central Union and leaders of more moderate piquetero factions to reduce the chances of strikes and protests. Their usual system of protest (blocking streets) made them highly unpopular. However, Kirchner refused to suppress the piquetero demonstrations to avoid the risk of further violence. Lavagna refused to run for senator in
9462-418: The presidential elections, because of a scandal over a bag with a large amount of money which was found in her office bathroom. She was replaced by Secretary of Industry Miguel Gustavo Peirano . Kirchner took a pragmatic approach to Argentine foreign policy , and Argentina–United States relations did not continue the special relations of the 1990s. Chancellor Rafael Bielsa called the relationship between
9576-622: The primary elections. Kirchner founded the Ateneo Juan Domingo Perón organization, which supported deposed president Isabel Perón and promoted political dialogue with the military. Cristina Fernández became an attorney of the PJ in Santa Cruz, with the help of Rafael Flores, a former friend from the FURN. Raúl Alfonsín , who was running for president for the Radical Civic Union (UCR), denounced an agreement between
9690-571: The provincial judiciary. Kirchner was criticized for preventing the investigation of corruption cases. Santa Cruz received 535 million pesos in oil royalties in 1993, which Kirchner deposited in a foreign bank. He was elected to the Constituent Assembly which drafted the 1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution proposed by the Peronist president Carlos Menem . Kirchner voted against the amendment that would allow
9804-674: The provincial social-welfare fund. Kirchner quickly expanded the activities and scope of his office, building a parallel state. This soon started a conflict with Puricelli. Instead of being fired, Kirchner resigned and accused the governor of reducing the funds for social welfare. He ran for mayor of Río Gallegos in 1987 and won by the slim margin of 110 votes. Kirchner's friend, Rudy Ulloa Igor, helped him to victory by registering some groups of Chilean immigrants to vote (immigrants were allowed to vote in mayoral elections), and persuading them to vote for Kirchner. Julio de Vido and Carlos Zannini began working with Kirchner at this time. Kirchner used
9918-407: The public, boosting Kirchner's popularity. He arranged a new system to appoint judges. Instead of simply proposing a new judge candidate to the Congress, the presidency first released names of a number of potential candidates, who were then evaluated by several non-governmental organizations, who assessed if the candidate was suitable as a judge. The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights compiled all
10032-426: The reelection of the president , which was approved. Locally, he proposed an amendment to the provincial constitution authorizing indefinite reelection of the governor. Menem and Kirchner were reelected to their respective offices in 1995. Kirchner established a faction in the PJ opposing Menem's neoliberal economic policies, but Eduardo Duhalde , governor of the populous Buenos Aires province, ignored him and rallied
10146-689: The required runoff election , he resigned; Kirchner became president as a result. Kirchner took office on 25 May 2003. Roberto Lavagna , credited with the economic recovery during Duhalde's presidency, was retained as minister of economy and continued his economic policies. Argentina negotiated a swap of defaulted debt and repaid the International Monetary Fund. The National Institute of Statistics and Census intervened to underestimate growing inflation. Several Supreme Court judges resigned while fearing impeachment , and new judges were appointed. The amnesty for crimes committed during
10260-536: The sale of long-owned land, hotel rentals, and time deposits in Argentine pesos and U.S. dollars. They founded a business-consulting company, El Chapel and established the Hotesur SA and Los Sauces firms to manage their luxury hotels in El Calafate . The Kirchners expanded Comasa, a firm of which they had a 90-percent ownership. Their salaries as politicians were 3.62 percent of their total earnings. Kirchner
10374-413: The state-owned media to promote his activities. The Peronist Ricardo del Val was elected governor that year, and the province was impacted by inflation in 1989. Kirchner became the main opponent of del Val, who was impeached and removed from office in 1990 due to the inflation crisis. Kirchner ran for governor of Santa Cruz in 1991. Although he received only 30 percent of the vote, below the 36 percent of
10488-427: The support and criticism, and the president then decided which candidate would be proposed to the Congress, which made the final decision, as under the previous system. Raúl Zaffaroni , a former FREPASO politician, was the first judicial appointment under the new system. He was followed by Elena Highton de Nolasco , the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. The appointment of Carmen Argibay (another female judge)
10602-533: The term limit, swapping roles with his wife. Cristina Kirchner was elected, and Néstor Kirchner became First Gentleman . He remained highly influential during his wife's term, supervising the economy and leading the PJ. Their marriage has been compared with those of Juan and Eva Perón and Bill and Hillary Clinton . He participated in Operation Emmanuel in Colombia in December 2007, which sought to release
10716-403: The two main candidates. Since Menem was well short of the threshold required to win, a runoff election was scheduled for 18 May. By this time, however, Menem's public image had deteriorated, and polls showed Kirchner receiving 60 to 70 percent of the vote. To avoid a humiliating defeat, Menem pulled out of the runoff in a move criticized by the other candidates. The judiciary declined requests for
10830-456: The year, judge Julián Ercolini indicted Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and several members of their cabinet, charging them with a criminal conspiracy that would have started when Néstor Kirchner first became president. Kirchner died on 27 October 2010, at the age of 60. The day was a national holiday for the INDEC to run a national census, so he was at home in El Calafate . Kirchner was rushed to
10944-460: Was a staunch opponent of capital punishment and manifested his posture in the aftermath of the execution of Saddam Hussein , when, while acknowledging the crimes committed by Hussein, he called for the abolishment of capital punishment, condemning the execution. The Skanska case occurred during Kirchner's presidency, during which several members of de Vido's ministry were accused of bribery in requests for tender for pipeline construction, based on
11058-398: Was appointed chief of the cabinet of ministers. Sergio Acevedo was placed in charge of intelligence. Julio de Vido was appointed Minister of Federal Planning, an office similar to his provincial one. Since the appointment of relatives was not unusual in Argentina, Kirchner's appointment of his sister Alicia as Minister of Social Development was uncontroversial. Chancellor Rafael Bielsa
11172-423: Was attended by thousands, despite heavy rain. According to media reports, 1,000 people per hour entered the Casa Rosada in groups of 100 to 150. Cristina Kirchner, dressed in mourning, stood next to the coffin. People brought candles, flags and flowers, some of which Cristina accepted personally. President of Argentina The president of Argentina ( Spanish : Presidente de Argentina ; officially known as
11286-444: Was controversial, since Argibay was an atheist and a supporter of legal abortion . The judges held liberal views on criminal justice, countering social demands for harsher, pro-victim policies after the murder of Axel Blumberg . However, the new Supreme Court had little political power, as the national government ignored all rulings that were not favorable. The pillars of the economic plan were trade and fiscal budget surpluses and
11400-750: Was defunct in 2016 and eventually replaced in 2023 by a Boeing 757-200 in VIP design, designated ARG-01 . The current presidential fleet also includes two Fokker F28 (T-02 and T-03) (one always in service) and Learjet 60 (T-10). The Learjet is also used by the Air Force chief of staff. As helicopters , a Sikorsky S-70 (H-01 ) and two Sikorsky S-76 (H-02 and H-03 ) also make-up the fleet, with an additional Air Force Bell 212 , as needed. During Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández administration AAP used different aircraft for their global flights, most notably Boeing 747 loaned from Aerolíneas Argentinas and
11514-549: Was deposed, and a constitutional convention was summoned. This constitution, still in force, established a national federal government, with the office of president. The term was fixed as six years, with no possibility of reelection. The first elected president under the constitution was Justo José de Urquiza , but Buenos Aires seceded from the Argentine Confederation as the State of Buenos Aires . Bartolomé Mitre
11628-557: Was drafted in 1826. This constitution was the first to create a president, although this office retained the powers described in the 1816 constitution. This constitution did come into force, resulting in the election of the first president, Bernardino Rivadavia . Because of the Cisplatine War , Rivadavia resigned after a short time, and the office was dissolved shortly thereafter. A civil war between unitarios (unitarians, i.e. Buenos Aires centralists) and federalists ensued in
11742-401: Was fanned by the political weight of Buenos Aires province (the most populous in Argentina, with almost 40 percent of the national vote), and continued through the 2005 midterm elections . Without consensus in the PJ for a candidate for senator in the Buenos Aires province, both leaders had their wives run for office: Hilda González de Duhalde for the PJ and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for
11856-607: Was from another political party, FREPASO . The Argentine judiciary had been unpopular since the presidency of Carlos Menem, most of whose judicial appointments were based on loyalty; his judiciary was known as the "automatic majority". Kirchner sought to remove the most controversial judges and organized the impeachment of Supreme Court president Julio Nazareno, who chose to resign. Judge Adolfo Vázquez also resigned before impeachment, citing personal reasons. Judges Eduardo Moline O'Connor and Guillermo López also resigned under similar circumstances. The vacancies were well received by
11970-451: Was insufficiently popular. Duhalde also unsuccessfully approached Mauricio Macri , Adolfo Rodríguez Saá , Felipe Solá , and Roberto Lavagna , all of whom refused to run. Duhalde initially resisted supporting Kirchner, fearing that Kirchner would ignore him if elected. Kirchner run on the Front for Victory ticket, one of the several fronts put up by the PJ. Since Kirchner was identified with
12084-413: Was nullified by the constitutional reform of 1994, which added Article 36 (see below). Article 29 of the constitution of 1853 had an article that considered the usurpation of public power as 'treason', but was referred to the de jure rulers. For this reason the constitutional reform of 1994 included Article 36 which says: In summary, the article states: The office of vice president was established by
12198-442: Was often labelled a left-wing and progressive president, with the cultural critic Alejandro Kaufman stating that Kirchner was "an Argentine social democrat: a centre-left Peronist", who had been elected on a "moderate-progressive" platform. However, that assessment is relative. Although he was left of previous Argentine presidents from Raúl Alfonsín to Eduardo Duhalde and contemporary Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , he
12312-433: Was reelected in a runoff against Mauricio Macri . Neither were Peronists, but Ibarra supported Kirchner and Macri was supported by Duhalde. Duhalde remained an influential figure in the Buenos Aires province; his ally Felipe Solá was elected governor by a landslide, and the PJ received its highest number of deputies since 1983 and won mayoral elections in several cities lost to the UCR in 1999. The three leading candidates in
12426-430: Was repealed in 1957. After the 1966 military coup d'état, the regime shortened the presidential term to four years. However, political instability led to frequent turnovers in office. With the restoration of democracy in 1983, the term was restored to six years. Prior to the 1994 constitutional reform, the president and vice president were required to be Roman Catholics. This stipulation was abolished in 1994. As of 2015,
12540-499: Was right of other Latin American presidents such as Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro . Kirchner's nationalist approach to the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute was closer to the right, and he did not consider left-wing policies such as the socialization of production or the nationalization of public services which were privatized during the Menem presidency. He did not attempt to modify church–state relations or reduce
12654-518: Was suspected, funnelling public-works money to the Kirchner family. In April 2016, Kirchner's secretary and confidant Daniel Muñoz (who died early that year) was identified in the Panama Papers as owner of real-estate investment firm Gold Black Limited. Company director Sergio Todisco was investigated by prosecutors who suspected that the company was used for money laundering . At the end of
12768-402: Was sworn into office on 10 December 2023. He succeeded Alberto Fernández . The constitution of Argentina, along with several constitutional amendments , establishes the requirements, powers, and responsibilities of the president, the term of office and the method of election. The origins of Argentina as a nation can be traced to 1776, when it was separated by King Charles III of Spain from
12882-519: Was the first president of the unified country, when Buenos Aires rejoined the confederation. Thus, Rivadavia, Urquiza, and Mitre are considered the first presidents of Argentina by different historians: Rivadavia for being the first one to use the title, Urquiza for being the first one to rule under the 1853 constitution, and Mitre for being the first president of Argentina under its current national limits. In 1930, 1943, 1955, 1962, 1966, and 1976, military coups deposed elected presidents. In 1966 and 1976,
12996-422: Was tried for unjust enrichment in 2004, with the case focusing on the increase in his wealth from 1995 to 2003. The case was first heard by judge Juan José Galeano and moved to judge Julián Ercolini , who acquitted him in 2005. A new case involving both Kirchners was heard by judge Norberto Oyarbide , who acquitted them in 2010. The TV program Periodismo para todos aired an investigation in 2013, detailing
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