Néstor Kirchner

Néstor Carlos Kirchner (25 February 1950 – 27 October 2010) was a former president of Argentina. Kirchner became President in 2003 after his rival Carlos Menem dropped out of a runoff election. He and his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner ideologically pursued a left-wing form of Peronism known as Kirchnerism. As President, his administration completed the Argentine debt restructuring, repaid Argentina's foreign debt to the International Monetary Fund, managed the inflation of the Argentine peso, pursued economic integration with Latin America, and prosecuted military officials complicit in the Argentine Dirty War after previous amnesties were ruled unconstitutional. He chose not to run for reelection in 2007 in favor of his wife, alongside whom he continued to serve as First Gentleman until his death in 2010. He also was appointed General-Secretary of the Union of South American Nations, a regional alliance of South American countries founded by Venezuela to counteract U.S. influence in the continent.

About Kirchner

• Much has been said these days about the inheritance we are to receive. Let me be very clear about this. No government has received a worse inheritance than the one we are receiving. In its beginnings, Kirchnerism boasted of having two surpluses. That is, fiscal and external surpluses. Today it leaves us with twin deficits of 17 points of GDP. In turn, 15 of these 17 GDP points correspond to the consolidated deficit between the Treasury and the Central Bank. Therefore, there is no viable solution that avoids attacking the budget deficit. At the same time, of these 15 points of fiscal deficit, 5 correspond to the National Treasury and 10 to the Central Bank. Therefore, the solution implies, on the one hand, a fiscal adjustment in the national public sector of 5 points of GDP, which, unlike in the past, will fall almost entirely on the State and not on the private sector. Therefore, there is no viable solution that avoids attacking the fiscal deficit. At the same time, of these 15 points of fiscal deficit, 5 correspond to the National Treasury and 10 to the Central Bank. Therefore, the solution implies, on the one hand, a fiscal adjustment in the national public sector of 5 points of GDP, which, unlike in the past, will fall almost entirely on the State and not on the private sector.
  • Javier Milei, Presidential Inaugural Address, 10 December 2023

After his death

"Our country needed this man. We lost someone indispensable", said Estela Carlotto, president of Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo

"He was a great President, he made an excellent administration. He was one in a million fighter politician", said opposition left-wing politician Pino Solanas.

"He's been the best President of Democracy", said his former Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers and later opposition politician Alberto Fernández. "I've lost a friend, above all differences" he further said.

"The people will recognize the continuing government effort Kirchner inaugurated in 2003", said leading labor union CGT Secretary General, Hugo Moyano.

"His role in the economic, social and political recovery of his country was remarkable, as his commitment in the struggle for the south-american integration", stated the Government of Brazil. Presidential candidate and former Chief of Staff of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, expressed his grief and said "Latin America and the whole world is mourning. Kirchner was a great friend of Brazil".

A communiqué issued by the Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs read: "The glorious histoy of the Argentine Republic has a before and after Néstor Kirchner. Beacuase of his neat condution, his unyielding courage, and determination of this loyal heir of the late Juan Domingo Perón, Argentina rose from its ashes to re-encounter his place among the free and independent nations after the neoliberal years."

"He was an outstanding partner and a promotor of Latin American integration", said Mexican President Felipe Calderón.

"His death represents a great loss for South American countries, said President of Chile Sebastián Piñera.

"We are shocked. Néstor Kirchner was a very valuable man. He had his principles above anything else. He was passionate about politics, and he was a driving force for South-American integration", said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador Ricardo Patiño.

"Bolivia lost a man compromised with his country, for his people. He opted for the poor and worked for a more participative democracy", said Minister of Foreign Affairs of bolivia, David Choquehuanca.

"We recognize in Néstor Kirchner a valiant son of Latin America, commited to policies coherent with the rights and wishes of the peoples and with the exercise of full soverignty and independence", said Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.

A statement issued by the Union of South American Nations read: "The death of Néstor Kirchner deprives Latin America of a key leader in the building of an inclusive region [...] He was convinced of the unity of Latin American peoples. He fought for his life by profound changes in his country and Latin America, and worked from different agencies for social justice, equity, democracy and integration". It also underlines his participation in "decisive instances", such as the 2010 Colombia–Venezuela diplomatic crisis and the 2010 Ecuador crisis, when he promoted the issuing of the democratic clause of Unasur.

"He was a farsighted and sage politician. As President of Argentina he made a great contribution to his country's economic and social estability [...] enhancing the international standing of Argentina. He led the way for Latin American integration in pursuit of peace", said President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia.

"He was a decisive figure in Argentine history. Argentina lost a stateman who collaborated in the development of his country, its economic recovery and the growth of its international standing [...] He was one of the architects of Latin American regional integration.", said Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Bernard Kouchner.