January 18, 2007. Copyright 2007, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Argentine President Nestor Kirchner riding the crest of a popular wave
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, January 18, Graphic News:  So audacious has been President Nestor KirchnerÕs stance towards the International Monetary Fund that some Argentina watchers have likened it to MaradonaÕs claim that the ÒHand of GodÓ helped him score in the 1986 World Cup. But such audacity has cemented KirchnerÕs popularity among a people convinced that they belong higher up the world pecking order.

In January 2006 Kirchner liquidated the countryÕs remaining $9.81 billion debt to the IMF in a move that signalled an end to the financial institutionÕs control over ArgentinaÕs affairs. The announcement came just a year after Kircher had negotiated a ÒmegaswapÓ of debt bonds, and just five years after debt default had plunged the country into economic meltdown.

Under Kirchner, Argentina has regained its pride. As the economy has recovered, so has his approval rating. With presidential elections looming in October, Kirchner is now in a vastly different place to where he was in May 2003, when controversial former president Carlos Menem backed out of a runoff poll and Kirchner became president by default.

If Kirchner was the less colourful candidate then -- pundits said his chief attraction was his glamorous politician wife Cristina Fernandez -- he has since convinced voters that he shares their passions, including ArgentinaÕs entitlement to the disputed Falklands Islands. Last year he appointed a commission to investigate how to win back the territory from Britain.

While his tough stance on sovereignty of the rocky outcrop has become a rallying point for anti-colonialists, his interest in it is also partly personal. Kirchner hails from Rio Gallegos in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz, directly opposite the Falklands and the port from where Argentine troops embarked for their failed invasion to retake the islands in 1982.

Born on February 25, 1950, his father worked for the post office. As a youg man Kirchner was a member of the Young Peronistas who opposed the military dictatorship. He graduated in law in 1976 and began to practice in Rio Gallegos, but his agenda was clearly a different one.

In 1987 Kirchner became mayor of his town for the Justicialist Party (PJ), paving his way to become governor of Santa Cruz in 1991. He immediately set about putting the province on a sound financial footing. He was criticised for his alleged authoritarian style, but won praise for opposing President Carlos MenemÕs pardon for members of the last military junta.

In December 2001 Argentina exploded into crisis. After the opposition government of Fernando de la Rua defaulted on a massive $93 billion of debt, the IMF pulled the plug and the economy went into freefall. Inevitably, political mayhem ensued: the government was forced to declare a state of emergency amid mass protests and rioting. De la Rua resigned.

Since becoming president Kirchner has gone some way to restoring his peopleÕs battered faith in their political class. Soon after taking office he retired dozens of generals and other military men who had been linked with the countryÕs Òdirty warÓ. He also set about cleaning up the Supreme Court, which had been tainted by allegations of corruption. 

In the same way as he aligned himself with BrazilÕs President Luis Inacio da Silva on the liquidation of his countryÕs debt, he has also made it clear that he shares the refusal of fellow populist Hugo Chavez of Venezuela to lie down and roll over for Washington. The pair now form part of the more radical end of the leftwing wave that has swept Latin American politics.

In mid-term parliamentary elections in 2005, KirchnerÕs Front for Victory (FV) won a clear victory, and he achieved the mandate to complete his four-year term. He is unlikely to be troubled by MenemÕs threat of a comeback.
/ENDS