Christina Kirshner it is a traditional politics and one of the most important names of Peronism in Argentina in recent decades. She began her career in Argentine politics in the 1980s, serving various terms as provincial MP, national MP, and Senator. She rose in politics along with her husband Nestor Kirchner.

She was the first lady of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, when her husband was president. He was elected president in 2007 and re-elected for a second term in 2011. His government has been noted for its anti-poverty and human rights policies, although he has been accused of corruption on several occasions. He was the victim of an attack in 2022 and survived because the weapon failed.

To learn more: Eva Peron is an iconic figure in the political history of Argentina.

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The birth and youth of Christina Kirchner

Christina Elizabeth Fernandez Kirchner was born in the city of La Plata, located in the province of Buenos Aires, on February 19, 1953.. She is the daughter of Eduardo Fernandez and Ofelia Esther Wilhelm, her father is a bus driver and her mother works for the local union.

Have access to education in local schools and grew up in a politically divided family environment, since his father was an anti-Peronist, and his mother was a staunch Peronist. Peronism can be understood as a political proposal by Juan Domingo Perón, President of Argentina between 1946 and 1955.

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Among Peronism’s proposals are government rapprochement with labor unions, economic nationalism, authoritarianism, fear of socialism, the implementation of measures to promote income distribution, the widespread use of political propaganda, and the promotion of the government’s image as a benefactor.

Academic background of Christina Kirshner

All my youth Christina took up political positions that brought her closer to Peronism. and it was during her university years that she became a true champion of this ideology in Argentina. In September 1972, she began studying psychology at the National University of La Plata.

She stayed on this course for a year and then decided to enroll in a law course. It was at this point that she became a Peronist, a defender of progressive ideals and a proponent of anti-imperialist discourse. Also, while studying at the university, she met Nestor Kichner, with whomm married in 1975.

She became the de facto Christina Kirchner after her marriage to Nestor. Initially, her approach to Peronism was through the Juventud Universitaria Peronista, but she also had a very strong ideological affinity with the Movimiento Peronista Montonero, whose members are known as the Montoneros. However, she did not agree with the radicalization of the Montoneros and their participation in the armed struggle, as she believed that politics was the ideal way to counter the dictatorship of the military in her country.

Due to the political repression of 1976, when the military dictatorship returned to Argentina under the leadership of Jorge Rafael Videla, Nestor and Christina decideiram leave La Plata and moveram for Rio Gallegos, hometown of Nestor. They believed they would be safe in Rio Gallegos because they imagined there would be less military repression.

The Argentine dictatorship unleashed great violence against the Peronists and other opponents of the regime, resulting in the murder and disappearance of the bodies of thousands of Argentine citizens. Christina Kirchner was only able to complete the course because she completed it remotely, thus earning her Bachelor of Laws degree in 1979.

Also know: Dictatorships in Latin America

Professional and political career of Christina Kirchner

The city of Rio Gallegos is part of the province of Santa Cruz, located in Patagonia. There the Kirchners developed their professional and political careers. in partnership. First, they created a law firm, working together since 1979. Since the 1980s, Nestor began his political career, and Christina shared this space with him.

From November 1981 Néstor Kirchner became part of a political group called Ateneo Teniente General Juan Domingo Perón starting his political career. Some time later, Nestor and Cristina joined Frente para la Victoria Santacruceña and together gained positions in Argentine politics. Nestor managed to be elected mayor of Rio Gallegos in 1987. Cristina Kirchner began her political career as an MP for the province of Santa Cruz. uh 1989.

In 1991, Nestor was elected governor of the province of Santa Cruz, and Christina was directly involved in her husband’s election campaign. In 1994, Cristina and Néstor Kirchner were elected to the Constituent Assembly, which reformed the Argentine Constitution in 1994. Next year Christina managed to be elected to the post of senator in the province of Santa Cruz.

In her speech as a senator, Christina Kirchner became known as a representative of Peronism, opposed to the neoliberal policies that were being pursued throughout South America at the time. She was even elected to the Argentine Senate by the Justicialist party founded by Perón in the 1940s.

In 1997, she stepped down as a senator and ran for parliament (national level) elected in the same year. In 2001, she was again elected to the Argentine Senate and was again represented by Santa Cruz. She held this position until 2005 and was re-elected to the Senate, but this time she ran for the province of Buenos Aires.

Christina Kirchner as President

In 2007, Cristina decided to run for president of Argentina, and her goal was to inherit her husband, N.this isStore, President of Argentina, between 2003 and 2007. During this period, Cristina also held the symbolic position of First Lady of Argentina. Christina Kirchner was an influential progressive politician and the wife of the country’s last president.

The political platform she championed, with proposals to protect human rights and promote the fight against social inequality, led to her being elected with more than 45% of the vote in one round. O her government was marked by great economic growth and distribution measures from incomewhose goal was to reduce social inequality.

Cristina Kirchner’s government maintained good relations with South American countries, including Brazil during the rule of Lula and Dilma Rousseff. There were many criticisms of Christina Kirchner for her alleged involvement in corruption schemeswith many investigations spanning years.

She has also been criticized for constantly clashing with the press to silence criticism of her government, and has also been accused of seeking to derail an investigation against her. However, she ended her administration with an approval rating in excess of 50%. She was re-elected in 2011 with over 54% of the vote. She sought to appoint a successor, but he was defeated in the 2015 elections by Mauricio Macri.

Assault on Christina Kirshner

After leaving the presidency, Christina Kirchner remained in Argentine politics, having been elected as a senator, again for the province of Buenos Aires. In 2019, she ran for vice president with Alberto Fernandez, and both defeated President Mauricio Macri, who was seeking re-election.

Recently, the political debate in Argentina has flared up in connection with the investigation against Cristina Kirchner and the demand of the prosecutor’s office to sentence her to 12 years in prison and a ban on political office. The prosecutor’s request was related to allegations of embezzlement of public money during his presidency.

The debate between Kirchnerists and opponents became quite heated in Argentina, and this political radicalization led to the September 1, 2022 incident. Christina Kirchner was assassinated right at her doorstep. in Buenos Aires, but survived because the weapon that was used to shoot her was not out of order.

The author of the crime was a Brazilian named Fernando Sabag Montiel, who has lived in Argentina since the early 1990s and is the son of a Chilean father and an Argentine mother, was arrested by Argentine police.

Image credits:

[1] a photo e Shutterstock

Daniel Neves Silva
A history teacher