Colleagues spoke of him as an influential, far-sighted and wise politician. However, the post of head of Argentina, he got not without difficulty. Before taking it, Nestor Kirchner gained experience in managing public affairs, sitting in the governor's chair, which was entrusted to him by the inhabitants of the province of Santa Cruz. In the end, he managed to gain huge prestige on the political Olympus and try to make the life of the Argentines happier. Did he succeed? Let's consider this question in more detail.
Facts from the biography
Nestor Kirchner is a native of the capital of the Argentine province of Santa Cruz (Rio Gallegos). He was born in 1950. His ancestors were from Swiss Bern: they moved to South America at the end of the 19th century. The father of the future president of Argentina worked in two capacities at the same time: and a telegraph operator.
Through the telegraph, he struck up an acquaintance with his future wife, Maria Ostoich, who worked at the post office in Punta Arenas, Chile. Nestor Kirchner, whose biography certainly deserves separate consideration, was not the only child in the family. He had two sisters: Alicia and Maria Cristina.
Years of study
At school, the boy showed very "mediocre" knowledge. However, this did not prevent him from subsequently successfully passing the exams in National University La Plata. In 1976, Nestor Kirchner is already a graduate in the field of jurisprudence.
In his student years, the young man becomes a member of the Peronist youth movement, and then joins the party, which was founded by the prominent statesman Juan Domingo Peron. During the years of study at the Alma Mater, the young man meets his future wife, Christina Elizabeth Fernandez.
Nestor Kishner is trying to introduce his beloved to political activity: as a result, she changes her “profile”, transferring from the Faculty of Psychology to the Department of Law.
Start of work
Having received university degrees, the young couple leaves for Rio Gallegos, where the young man decides to engage in private law practice. In his opinion, this is an ideal launching pad for the future political career. Even then, the young Nestor Kirchner made no secret of his ambitions: his first task was to take the post of governor of the province of Santa Cruz. Well, the ultimate goal of the lawyer was the presidential chair, sitting in which he could rule the whole country. The young man assigned the role of “think tank” and “companion” to his wife. They planned in detail who would do what.
Nestor took over the administrative and economic functions and duties of the treasurer, and Christina was supposed to represent the interests of her clients in the courts and search for them. After a year of painstaking work, they managed to build up a "serious" client base, consisting of major businessmen of the city. Kirchner's law firm has begun to make good profits, and its owners are beginning to invest finances in real estate. Some time later, Nestor decides to take part in the election race, putting forward his candidacy first for mayor and then for governor.
Political victories
In 1987, luck smiles at the beginning politician, and he wins the elections, after which he heads the mayor's office of his native Rio Gallegos. And four years later, Nestor Kirchner is entrusted with the post of governor of the province of Santa Cruz. In 1995 and 1999, he again becomes the head of this region. He delegates his wife as a deputy to the local legislature. It should be noted that he had to lead a far from prosperous region: his debt to the center was 1.2 billion US dollars. The new governor was able to solve this problem by attracting funds from foreign investors in the tourism segment of the economy.
Victory in the presidential race
In 2003, a graduate of the National University of La Plata takes first place in the country's presidential elections.
The dream that Nestor Kirchner was striving for has come true. Photos of the new head of state immediately began to be printed on the front pages of Argentine newspapers. He served as president from 2003 to 2007. Of course, his wife Christina, who organized and coordinated all propaganda work, played an important role in building Nestor's political career. However, Kirchner was able to win only in the second round of elections, and if the contender for the post of head of state Carlos Menem had not refused to participate in the second round, who knows how things would have turned out.
The main vectors of country governance
It should be noted that the policy of Nestor Kirchner, even before coming to power, was based on attempts to implement the ideas of socialism and Peronism. People who knew him closely said that the president liked to discuss the main issues related to governing the country with his wife. It was she who influenced his opinion. And Christina herself does not deny that she informally held the position of adviser to the head of state. What did Nestor Kirchner manage to achieve when he held a responsible post?
Politics inside
It should be noted that he was destined to govern the country, which was "suffocating" under the onslaught of the economic crisis.
The situation was aggravated by the fact that the highest echelons of power were mired in corruption. Nestor decided to start with a "purge" in the judiciary. The "personnel" issue in the Supreme Court of the country has long been overdue. Kirchner invited the corrupt representatives of Themis to voluntarily resign. He seriously updated the judiciary.
Nestor also held a large-scale in the Ministry of Defense: many admirals and generals lost their posts. He canceled pardons for those who committed egregious crimes between 1976 and 1983. The former governor of Santa Cruz was able to repay most external debt.
Politics outside
The foreign policy course of the Argentine president provided for the country's close cooperation with the United States and the normalization of relations with Great Britain in connection with this. But the head of the South American state was in no hurry to establish close ties with the countries of Western Europe, since the line of the WTO and the EU ran counter to national interests. He did not want to expand the spheres of influence of the UN Security Council at the expense of Japan, Brazil, Germany and India. Kirchner also supported Russia's idea of destroying terrorist organizations that kill millions of civilians all over the planet.
In 2005, the political party headed by the head of state (Front for Victory) wins the elections to the national parliament.
Two years later, Nestor Kishner announced that he had no plans to become president of Argentina again. In early October 2007, the politician resigned. After that, he became a member of Congress.
After the presidency
Nestor's successor as president was his wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who managed to secure a majority of votes in the elections. Well, the husband became the head of the ruling Peronist party. However, after the failure in the parliamentary elections, he was forced to vacate this post. In the spring of 2010, he was approved as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR).
Deterioration of health
At the end of October 2010, Argentine newspapers were full of headlines that Cristina Fernandez's husband was urgently taken to the El Calafate hospital. Nestor Kirchner died there. The cause of death is cardiac arrest. Shortly before that, he underwent an operation to restore the patency of the coronary artery, and then a blood clot in the carotid artery was removed. The politician's heart problems began in 2004. Active seriously shortened his life. For many, Nestor Kirchner was a bright and colorful figure. The funeral of the ex-president took place in his native Rio - Gallegos. In Venezuela and Brazil, three days of mourning were declared on his death.
Nestor Kirchner, in full Nestor Carlos Kirchner, (born February 25, 1950, Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina-died October 27, 2010, El Calafate), Argentine lawyer and politician, who was of from 2003 to 2007.
Kirchner studied law at the National University of , where he was a member of the Peronist Youth organization. In 1975 he married Cristina Fernández, a fellow law student. Following their graduation in 1976, the couple returned to , where they established a successful law practice in the late 1970s. During the country's military dictatorship (1976–83), Kirchner was briefly imprisoned for his political beliefs. In 1987 he was elected of , and in 1991 he was elected to the first of three consecutive four-year terms as governor of Santa Cruz. The considerable oil reserves in Santa Cruz, combined with the province’s small population, allowed Kirchner a measure of independence from the national government. He was also frequently critical of the administration of Pres. .
Largely unknown outside his home province, Kirchner decided to seek the presidency in 2003. Although at his first candidacy was not taken seriously by most observers, he ran a skillful campaign and received the strong endorsement of outgoing Pres. , who was a key figure in the party (formally the Justicialist Party ). In the first round of voting in April 2003, he finished a close second to former president Menem. Shortly before the scheduled runoff, however, Menem-trailing Kirchner by a wide margin in opinion polls-withdrew his candidacy, and Kirchner became president-elect by default . A week later Kirchner was sworn in as president.
Once in office, Kirchner consolidated his power by taking actions that were popular with the general public. He forced top military officials to retire, annulled legislation prohibiting the extradition of military officers accused of abuses (dating to the 1976–83 military dictatorship), and attacked unpopular institutions such as the Supreme Court and the privately run utility companies. In September 2003 he helped negotiate a debt-restructuring deal with the (IMF) after the country defaulted on a $2.9 billion loan.
Kirchner's economic policies-including his decision to devalue the Argentine peso-brought , and in legislative elections in October 2005 his faction of the Peronist party gained strength in both houses of the legislature. In one closely watched Senate race in province, Kirchner’s wife, , easily defeated the wife of former president Duhalde (with whom Kirchner was having a leadership struggle), confirming Kirchner’s emergence as the undisputed leader of the Peronists. In December 2005 Kirchner ordered the treasury to repay Argentina’s nearly $10 billion debt to the IMF, a small but significant symbolic gesture showing that he was moving Argentina away from reliance on the IMF and attempting to forge alliances with other populist leaders in . Despite Kirchner’s popularity and his success in reviving Argentina’s economy, during his last year in office his administration was tainted by corruption scandals, an energy crisis, and high .
Kirchner chose not to seek a second presidential term and announced his support for his wife, Fernández de Kirchner, as the Peronist party presidential candidate in the 2007 elections. She won the election by a significant margin to become Argentina’s first elected female president. In April 2008 Néstor Kirchner became the new leader of the party. He ran for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the National Congress, in the June 2009 early legislative elections but came in second place behind congressman and millionaire Francisco de Narváez, a dissident Peronist. Reflecting the Kirchners’ declining popularity, their Peronist party also lost power in both houses of Congress. The day after his defeat Kirchner officially resigned as leader of the party. Under Argentina's
Nestor Carlos Kirchner Ostoich(Spanish: Nestor Carlos Kirchner Ostoic; 02/25/1950 - 10/27/2010) - Argentine statesman and politician, the president from May 25, 2003 to October 28, 2007
Childhood, youth
The future head of state was born on February 25, 1950 in (Spanish Río Gallegos;, southern Argentina), in a family of emigrants. His father, German-speaking Jewish Swiss Nestor Carlos (Spanish: Néstor Carlos; 1917-1981), worked as a dental technician and worked as a telegraph operator; mother, Maria Juana Ostoich (Spanish Maria Juana Ostoic; 1920-2013) is a Chilean of Croatian origin. The family had three children: two daughters - Alicia (later headed the Ministry of Social Development), Maria Cristina (later became a pharmacist) and the middle son Nestor.
At school, the boy studied mediocrely, but after graduation he entered the National University in the city (Spanish: La Plata), which he graduated in 1976 with a law degree. While still at the university, he joined the party founded by the president (Spanish Juan Domingo Peron; 1895 - 1974), which for more than 50 years was the largest in Argentina. In 1975, while still a student, he married a classmate, Cristina Fernandez (Spanish: Cristina Elisabet Fernandez). Shortly after graduating from the University, the young man and his young wife returned to their hometown and started practicing as a lawyer.
Political activity
In 1982, Kirchner joined the administration of Santa Cruz County (Spanish: Santa Cruz); in 1987 he had already taken over the administration of the Río Gallegos; in 1991, he was elected governor of Santa Cruz, and subsequently he was re-elected to this position twice more (in 1995 and 1999).
In the 2003 elections, gaining about 59% of the vote in the second round of elections and beating the main rival, (Spanish Carlos Saul Menem; President of Argentina from the Peronist political party from 1989 to 1999), Nestor Kirchner won and led Argentina from May 25, 2003 to December 10, 2007.
In 2007, his wife replaced him as president (Spanish: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner), who, with the help of her husband, won the election.
Presidency
Nestor took over an exhausted country, strangled by an economic crisis. Argentina, which was once on par with the developed European countries, has become entangled in a web of economic problems, foreign debt and corruption.
After taking over the leadership of the country, Kirchner urgently made changes in the state Supreme Court. Instead of most of the conservative judges convicted of extortion, he appointed new ones close to him in ideological convictions. Generals and admirals who tarnished their reputation were dismissed; the archives of the special services were declassified, in which there was information about Nazi criminals who found refuge in Argentina after World War II; payments of Argentina's external debt began, the country gradually emerged from the "black streak".
In foreign policy, President Nestor Kirchner was a supporter of "balanced" relations with the United States, he continued to engage in dialogue with Great Britain on the issue, and relations with Europe became noticeably colder during his presidency; assigned a central role to the UN in resolving international problems; paid great attention to the fight against terrorism; supported the policy of disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons; condemned the NATO military operation in Iraq; blamed both Palestinians and Israelis for causing the Middle East conflict.
Kirchner's Frente para la Victoria party won a landslide victory in the 2005 parliamentary elections with over 40% of the electoral vote.
Despite the high popular support (more than 60% of the country's population), he was sharply criticized by a number of political scientists and journalists who accused the presidential couple of abuse of power, corruption, money laundering, illegal arms trafficking, real estate fraud and secret foreign accounts.
Contrary to the expectations of supporters, despite the successes achieved in overcoming the severe crisis of 2001-2002, in 2007 Nestor Kirchner refused to run for re-election, he proposed instead of himself from the "Front for Victory" to nominate his wife Christina, who "if elected president, capable of changing the course of history in Argentina,” said Kirchner on July 10, 2007. He resigned on October 28, 2007 in connection with the election of his wife to the high presidential post.
Nestor and Christina Kirshenra
Nestor Kirchner: Post-presidency
After leaving the presidency, Nestor Kirchner remained an influential political figure in the country: on December 3, 2009, he was elected to the National Congress, in May 2010 - Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations.
He continued to be such a powerful politician during the reign of his successor, wife Christina, that the term "presidential marriage" was even coined by journalists to refer to both leaders at once. Some political scientists have compared this type of government to dual power.
demise
60-year-old Kirchner, who was going to fight for the presidency in 2011, was urgently hospitalized on October 27, 2010 in the hospital of the city (Spanish: El Calafate; province of Santa Cruz), where he died of heart failure on the same day. This was his fifth hospitalization since 2004 due to heart problems.
For more than 24 hours, hundreds of thousands of people took part in the farewell ceremony in "". The funeral procession was led by the widow, Cristina Fernandez. Buried Nestor Kirchner in his hometown of Rio Gallegos.
Argentina declared 3 days of national mourning, the Union of South American Countries declared 3 days of mourning in all South American countries. 8 heads of South American states came to Kirchner's funeral, others expressed their condolences. So, the president - (Spanish Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías) wrote in his microblog: “How painful! This is a huge loss for Argentina and all of America! Hail Kirchner forever!”
Personal life
Nestor had only one wife - Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2007 to 2015. There are two children in the Kirchner family: the eldest son Maximo (born in 1977) and daughter Florencia (born in 1990).
At the same time, it was not a big secret in the country that the Kirchner marriage had long existed only on paper. In informed circles, there was talk of Nestor's connection with Elizabeth Miriam Quiroga(Spanish Elisabeth Miriam Quiroga), who for many years was the closest associate and secretary of the ex-president. Almost a couple of months after his death, the famous Argentine magazine Noticias published her photo on the cover with the shocking caption "Another Widow".
It is known that Miriam began working with Kirchner in the 90s, when he was governor of the province of Santa Cruz. Later, when he was elected president, Quiroga followed him to Buenos Aires.
After Nestor Kirchner left the leadership position, the woman received the prestigious position of director of the Documentation Center, but, shortly after Nestor's death, Quiroga experienced the revenge of the ex-president's widow: in early 2011, she was fired. Now Miriam, like in a shabby series, roams the editorial offices of newspapers and television studios, speaking with revelations about her relationship with her former boss, about the financial machinations of the presidential couple and about hiding places in their private house full of bags of money.
Argentine statesman and politician, President of Argentina from May 25, 2003 to October 28, 2007. Born into a family of immigrants. His father, a Jewish immigrant from Switzerland, was the first dental technician in Rio Gallegos, worked as a telephone operator at the post office, where he met Maria Juana Ostoich, a half-Croatian, whom he soon married.
In 1976 he graduated from the National University of La Plata with a law degree. In 1975 he married a fellow student Christine Fernandez. After graduating from university, he returned to his hometown and took up advocacy. During the years of the military dictatorship, he often had to hide from the authorities with his friends. Once he was arrested, but after three days he was released. In 1982, he began working in the administration of the province of Santa Cruz, in 1987 he headed the administration of his native city, and in 1991 he became governor of the province of Santa Cruz. Won the 2003 elections for ex-president of Argentina Menem. He accepted a poor country where the economic crisis was raging. Argentina is a country that was once on par with developed countries Europe, was covered with economic problems, debts and corruption. Shortly after coming to power, he made changes in the Argentine Supreme Court. He accused some of the judges of extortion and pressured them to resign, also facilitating the removal of two others. Instead of a majority of right-wing and unswervingly conservative judges, he appointed new ones who were ideologically closer to him, including two women (one of them an avowed atheist). He also dismissed many generals and admirals, some of whom were tarnished by the atrocities of the Dirty War. He declassified the archives of the secret services, which contained information about Nazi war criminals who found refuge in the country after the Second World War. The amnesty was also canceled for the military who committed terrible crimes in 1976-1983. The President began paying off the country's external debt, brought the country out of the "dark streak" in history.
In foreign policy, he was a supporter of "balanced" relations with the United States, continued the dialogue with Great Britain on the Falkland Islands, was a supporter of thaw and stabilization in relations with Albion. Relations with Europe cooled during his presidency, Argentina did not agree with the EU's position in the WTO. He assigned a central role in solving international problems of the UN. He was opposed to the expansion of the UN Security Council at the expense of Germany, Japan, India and Brazil. He paid much attention to the fight against terrorism and condemned terrorist attacks in Russia. A supporter of Argentina's participation in UN peacekeeping operations (sent 653 peacekeepers to "hot spots"). He supported disarmament and the policy of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. condemned the NATO military operation in Iraq, believing that the main role in the settlement should take the UN. Condemned both Palestinians and Israelis in the Middle East conflict. He was an opponent of the blockade of Cuba by the Americans.
His Victory Front party won the 2005 parliamentary elections (gained more than 40% of the vote). However, in 2007, he announced that he would not run for the presidency of Argentina, despite the support of more than 60% of the country's population. He resigned from the post of President of the country on October 28, 2007 in connection with the election of a new president - his wife Christina Kirchner. Despite his high support from the people, he is criticized by some journalists and political scientists. They accuse the President of abuse of power and excessive centralization of power. After his resignation, he remained an influential figure "at the Buenos Aires" court. On December 3, 2009, he was elected to the National Congress. On February 7, 2010, he suffered a blocked carotid artery. He was urgently hospitalized and operated on. In May 2010, he was elected Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations at an extraordinary summit of this organization in Campana. As a parliamentarian, he, along with his wife-president, actively supported the law on the legalization of same-sex marriages.
He was buried in his hometown in the south of the country. The funeral procession was led by his widow Christina Kirchner, accompanied by several thousand people. Three days of mourning were declared in Brazil and Venezuela.
Loading...