President Kirchner: Another Peron?

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina

President Kirchner, who has been in office since December 2007, was re-elected in 2011 and may have her sights on a third term – which would require an amendment to the constitution.  She was the first elected female president of Argentina and the second to hold that office after Isabel Peron in the 1970s. Her landslide election victory resulted from a popular policy of wealth distribution. She is an admirer of the Peron dynasty and the widow of Nestor Kirchner, a former president of the country.

Kirchner’s administration has not been without criticism and there have been allegations of corruption and crony capitalism. Early in the New Year the IMF censured Argentina for failing to comply with international standards for compiling inflation and economic growth figures.  The country is experiencing its highest inflation for a decade. An anti-government demonstration in November attracted up to half a million protestors. However, the opposition is in very poor shape and things look more promising for the government now that GDP is improving.


Tags assigned to this article:
argentina

You may have an interest in also reading…

Otaviano Canuto, IMF: China’s Spill-Overs on Latin America and the Caribbean

The Chinese economy is rebalancing while softening its growth pace. China’s spillovers on the global economy have operated through trade,

Serena Williams: Writing Her Own Script for Success

She is the only woman to rank amongst the world’s highest paid athletes, claiming a spot nearly dead centre on

Evangelos Marinakis: A Councilman of Note

Though the past made him a rich man, Evangelos Marinakis now wants to break with it. Elected councilman in Piraeus,