Cristina Fernández de Kirchner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Fernández de Kirchner in 2022
President of the Justicialist Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 November 2024
Vice President	José Mayans
Preceded by	Alberto Fernández
56th President of Argentina
In office 10 December 2007 – 10 December 2015
Vice President	Julio Cobos (2007–2011) Amado Boudou (2011–2015)
Preceded by	Néstor Kirchner
Succeeded by	Mauricio Macri
37th Vice President of Argentina
In office 10 December 2019 – 10 December 2023
President	Alberto Fernández
Preceded by	Gabriela Michetti
Succeeded by	Victoria Villarruel
Ceremonial roles First Lady of Argentina In role 25 May 2003 – 10 December 2007 President Néstor Kirchner Preceded by Hilda González de Duhalde Succeeded by Néstor Kirchner (as First Gentleman) First Lady of Santa Cruz In role 10 December 1991 – 25 May 2003 Governor Néstor Kirchner Preceded by Marta Arana de García Succeeded by María Gloria Ros de Icazuriaga First Lady of Río Gallegos In role 10 December 1987 – 10 December 1991 Intendant Néstor Kirchner Preceded by Sofía Vicic de Ceperníc Succeeded by Eva María Henríquez de Martínez
Parliamentary offices National Senator In office 10 December 2017 – 10 December 2019 Constituency Buenos Aires In office 10 December 2005 – 28 November 2007 Constituency Buenos Aires In office 10 December 2001 – 10 December 2005 Constituency Santa Cruz In office 10 December 1995 – 3 December 1997 Constituency Santa Cruz National Deputy In office 10 December 1997 – 10 December 2001 Constituency Santa Cruz Member of the Constitutional Convention In office 1 May 1994 – 22 August 1994 Constituency Santa Cruz Provincial Deputy of Santa Cruz In office 10 December 1989 – 10 December 1995 Constituency Río Gallegos
Personal details
Born	Cristina Elisabet Fernández (1953-02-19) 19 February 1953 (age 72) La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Political party	Justicialist
Other political affiliations	Front for Victory (2003–2017) Citizen's Unity (2017–2019) Everyone's Front (2019–2023) Union for the Homeland (since 2023)
Spouse	Néstor Kirchner ​ ​ (m. 1975; died 2010)​
Children	2, including Máximo
Alma mater	National University of La Plata
Occupation	Politician lawyer
Signature

Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (born 19 February 1953) is an Argentine lawyer and politician. She served as the 56th President of Argentina from 2007 to 2015. Later, she became the 37th Vice President of Argentina from 2019 to 2023, serving under President Alberto Fernández. She was also the First Lady when her husband, Néstor Kirchner, was president from 2003 to 2007.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was the second woman to become president of Argentina. She was the first woman to be directly elected to this high office. Her political ideas are part of Peronism and Progressivism, and her specific approach is known as Kirchnerism. Since 2024, she has been the president of the Justicialist Party, which is a major opposition party in Argentina.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner: A Leader's Journey

Early Life and Education

Cristina Fernández at age 17, 1970

Cristina Fernández was born on 19 February 1953 in Tolosa, a town near La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires Province. Her parents were Eduardo Fernández and Ofelia Esther Wilhelm. She attended high school at Popular Mercantil and Misericordia schools. Her grandparents came from Galicia, Spain.

She started her university studies at the National University of La Plata. She first studied psychology for a year, then switched to law. In 1973, she met Néstor Kirchner, who was also a student. He introduced her to political discussions. At that time, Argentina was going through big political changes. She became interested in Peronism, left-wing politics, and anti-imperialism. Cristina and Néstor got married on 9 May 1975.

Starting a Political Career

Cristina and Néstor Kirchner moved to Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Néstor's hometown. Cristina finished her law studies through distance learning. She became a lawyer and worked for the Justicialist Party.

In 1989, Cristina Kirchner was elected as a deputy for the provincial legislature of Santa Cruz. She even served as interim governor of Santa Cruz for a few days in 1990. In 1991, she helped with Néstor's political campaign when he was elected governor of Santa Cruz. In 1994, she was part of the group that updated the Constitution of Argentina.

She was elected as a national senator in 1995. She sometimes disagreed with proposed laws. She was known for speaking her mind. In 1997, she resigned from her senator seat and ran for national deputy instead. She was re-elected as a senator in 2001.

When Néstor Kirchner became president in 2003, Cristina became the First Lady. She continued her work in Congress. In 2005, she ran for senator for Buenos Aires province and won.

Becoming President

First Term as President (2007-2011)

First Lady Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (right) campaigning alongside her husband, Néstor Kirchner in 2007.

In 2007, Néstor Kirchner decided not to run for re-election. Instead, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became the candidate for the Front for Victory party. She won the presidential election in the first round with over 45% of the votes. She was very popular among working-class people and those in rural areas.

She officially became president on 10 December 2007. Her first term faced challenges like rising prices, public safety concerns, and issues with energy. She was the second woman to be president of Argentina, but the first to be directly elected by the people. Her husband, Néstor Kirchner, remained an important influence during her presidency.

Second Term as President (2011-2015)

After her husband Néstor Kirchner passed away in 2010, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner decided to run for a second term. On 21 June 2011, she announced her candidacy. She was re-elected in the 2011 general election with a large majority of 54.11% of the votes. This was one of the biggest wins in Argentine presidential elections since 1983. Her party also gained more seats in Congress.

Economic Changes

When she started her first term, Cristina Kirchner changed the Minister of Economy. Her government faced debt payments and decided to take over private pension funds. This meant the government would manage these funds. She said this was to protect people during a financial crisis.

In 2009, her government started the Universal Child Allowance. This program gives money to parents who are unemployed or work in the informal economy to help fight poverty.

During her second term, the government put in place currency controls. These controls limited how much foreign money, especially US dollars, people could buy or sell. This was done to stop money from leaving the country and to prevent tax evasion. In 2014, Argentina faced a sovereign default (meaning it couldn't pay its debts).

Energy and Public Services

For many years, prices for public services like electricity and gas were kept low by the government. This meant the government paid part of the cost through subsidies. However, this led to less investment in these services. Argentina started needing to import energy instead of producing enough for itself.

In 2012, she proposed removing some of these subsidies, but it was not popular. Instead, she decided to bring the energy company YPF back under government control. This company had been privatized in 1993. This decision was made because of the country's energy needs.

Farmers' Protests

Road blockade during the 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector in Villa María, Córdoba

In March 2008, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's government introduced a new tax system for farm exports. This system would change taxes based on international prices. This meant higher taxes on products like soybean. Farmers across the country protested this new tax, blocking roads and causing food shortages.

The government said the new taxes would help share wealth more fairly and keep food prices down. Farmers argued that the high taxes made it hard for them to make a living. After four months of protests, the bill was put to a vote in Congress. The vote ended in a tie, and the Vice President, Julio Cobos, cast the deciding vote against the bill, which meant it was rejected.

Public Demonstrations

200,000 people took part in a cacerolazo against Fernández de Kirchner

After her re-election in 2011, some of her supporters suggested changing the Constitution to allow presidents to be re-elected indefinitely. This idea was not popular with many people. In September 2012, a large protest called a cacerolazo (where people bang pots and pans) took place. People protested various issues, including rising crime rates and currency controls.

Another even larger protest happened two months later, with nearly half a million people attending. They protested inflation and other concerns. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said she would continue with her policies.

In April 2013, floods in Buenos Aires and La Plata caused many deaths. Later, the government proposed changes to the justice system. These changes were seen by some as an attempt to control the courts.

International Relations

Fernández de Kirchner with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2008

Fernández de Kirchner with U.S. President Barack Obama at the 2011 G20 Cannes summit in 2011

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was part of a group of left-leaning presidents in Latin America during the 2000s, often called the "pink tide". She supported leaders like Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela. She also worked to strengthen ties within the Mercosur trade bloc.

Her relationship with the United States was sometimes difficult. In 2012, on the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War, she spoke strongly about Argentina's claim to the Falkland Islands.

Fernández de Kirchner with Pope Francis in 2015

When Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina was elected as Pope Francis in 2013, initial reactions were mixed. However, due to the Pope's popularity, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner quickly improved her relationship with him. They had a private meeting, which was the new Pope's first meeting with a head of state.

Fernández de Kirchner with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in 2011

In 1994, a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, AMIA, suffered a terrorist attack. The investigation into this attack continued for many years. In 2015, a prosecutor named Alberto Nisman accused Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of trying to cover up the attack. He was found dead in his home the day before he was supposed to explain his accusation to Congress. This case caused a lot of controversy and remains unresolved.

After the Presidency

Fernández de Kirchner with then-Buenos Aires Mayor and successor Mauricio Macri in 2014

In the 2015 presidential election, Mauricio Macri was elected president. There were some disagreements during the transition of power. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner did not attend the handover ceremony, which was unusual.

After leaving the presidency, she founded a think tank called Patria Institute in 2016. She also wrote a book called Sinceramente (meaning "Sincerely"), which was published in 2019.

Senator and Vice President

In the 2017 midterm elections, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner ran for senator for Buenos Aires Province. She won a seat in the Senate, even though her party came in second place in the election.

On 27 October 2019, she was elected vice president of Argentina. She ran alongside Alberto Fernández (who is not related to her), who became president. This made her the first former head of state to become vice president in Argentina. She resigned from the Senate in November 2019 to take on her new role.

Legal Challenges

After leaving the presidency in 2015, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner faced several legal cases. In December 2022, she was found guilty of "fraudulent administration" related to public works contracts. The court sentenced her to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office. This verdict was upheld by an appeals court in November 2024 and by the Supreme Court in June 2025. She was allowed to serve her sentence at her private home. She has always denied the accusations against her.

In December 2024, the Supreme Court confirmed that she will have a trial for the case related to the memorandum with Iran, which was part of the investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing. In March 2025, the US State Department placed an entry ban on her and a former minister for "significant corruption" during their time in office.

Personal Life and Health

In 1973, while studying at university, Cristina met Néstor Kirchner. They married in 1975 and had two children: Máximo (born 1977), who is now a National Deputy, and Florencia (born 1990).

Néstor Kirchner passed away on 27 October 2010. After his death, Cristina wore black for more than three years.

Her health has sometimes been a public topic. In 2011, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had surgery in January 2012. After the operation, it was found that she had been misdiagnosed and did not have cancer. In October 2013, doctors found blood on her brain from an old head injury. She had successful surgery to remove the blood. In November 2021, she had a successful surgery for a uterine polyp.

Electoral History

Presidential Elections

Legislative Elections

Awards and Recognition

International Honors

Ribbon	Distinction	Country	Date	Reference
	Collar of the Order of the Aztec Eagle	Mexico	24 November 2008
	Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic	Spain	6 February 2009
	Golden Key of Madrid	Spain	9 February 2009
	Collar of the Order of Merit	Chile	29 October 2009
	Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru	Peru	22 March 2010
	Grand Collar of the Order of the Condor of the Andes	Ecuador	26 March 2010
	Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross	Brazil	17 July 2015
	Order of the Star of Palestine	Palestine	12 August 2015
	Manuela Sáenz Medal of the National Assembly	Ecuador	29 September 2016

Coat of arms of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as a member of Order of Isabella the Catholic

Honorary University Degrees

•  China: Honorary Doctorate from the University of International Business and Economics, 12 July 2010
•  Argentina: Honorary Doctorate from the National University of La Plata, 9 April 2014
•  Argentina: Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Quilmes, 12 October 2016
•  Argentina: Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Lanús, 3 December 2016
•  Argentina: Honorary Doctorate from the National University of the Chaco Austral, 6 May 2022
•  Argentina: Honorary Doctorate from the National University of Río Negro, 10 March 2023
•  Argentina: Honorary Doctorate from the National University of the West, 13 September 2024

See also

In Spanish: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner para niños