Néstor Kirchner

Néstor Carlos Kirchner (born 25 February 1950) is the current President of Argentina. He was sworn in on May 25, 2003. A Peronist with leftist leanings, Kirchner was governor of the province of Santa Cruz prior to being elected president.

The 2003 presidential election

Kirchner's electoral promises included "returning to a republic of equals". He distanced himself clearly from the neoliberal regime of the previous 25 years, which he slammed as "inaugurated by the military coup in 1976." After the first round of the election, Kirchner visited the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who received him enthusiastically. He also declared he was proud of his radical left-wing political past.

Related Topics:
Brazil - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

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Although Menem, who was president from 1989 to 1999, won the first round of the election on April 27, 2003, he only got 24% of the valid votes – just 2% ahead of Kirchner. This was a Pyrrhic victory, as Menem had by then a strongly negative image among a large segment of the Argentine population and had virtually no chance of winning on the run-off. After days of speculation, during which polls forecast a massive victory for Kirchner with about a 30%-40% difference, Menem finally decided to stand down. This automatically made Kirchner president of Argentina. He was sworn in on May 25, 2003 to a four-year term of office.

Related Topics:
April 27 - 2003 - Pyrrhic victory - May 25

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