Kirchnerism
Encyclopedia
Kirchnerism is a term used to refer to the political philosophy and supporters of Néstor Kirchner
, president of Argentina
from 2003 to 2007, and of his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
, President from 2007. Although the Kirchners are allied with the Peronist
Justicialist Party
, Peronism itself is an ample movement, and many Peronists oppose them ("Anti-Kirchnerist Peronism"). Kirchnerists are often distinguished with the letter K, for instance radicales K.
In response, the term "Anti-Kirchnerism" has arisen to describe those sectors and persons, as much within as without Peronism, who opposed the governments of Kirchner and Fernández, and her selection as candidate in 2007.
, Néstor Kirchner was a Peronist but distrusted the Justicialist Party
as a support for his government. He proposed instead a "Transversalist" policy, seeking the support of progressive
politicians regardless of their party. Thus, he got support from factions of the PJ, the Radical Civic Union
(which were called "Radicales K") and small centre-left
parties. Kirchner neglected the internal politics of the PJ, and kept instead the Front for Victory
party, which was initially created ad hoc for the 2003 election. Some politicians favored by this policy were Aníbal Ibarra
, mayor of Buenos Aires for the Broad Front and supported as Kirchnerist, and Julio Cobos
, governor of Mendoza for the UCR and elected as vicepresident of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2007.
The Transversalist project was eventually dismissed. Kirchner took control of the PJ, and the "Radicales K" slowly returned to their own party.
and a disinclination to build consensus with the political opposition. It has been accused of undermining the democratic system, and has been compared both to fascism
and communism
. These critics are unfounded, as Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner just won her reelection by 54%.
During Cristina Kirchner´s first year as president and Néstor Kirchner as ex-president, the assets of the couple increased as never before: throughout 2008, their net worth grew from 17,824,941 to 46,036,711 pesos which implies an increase of 158 per cent. The initial assets when Néstor Kirchner assumed the presidency were of 2 millions pesos, the Kirchners’ assets increased by 572% since they arrived in the Government House in 2003.
Opponents have accused the Kirchners of exploiting political connections in their home state of Santa Cruz to buy municipal land cheaply and sell it at a vast profit.
Federal Judge Norberto Oyarbide was in charge of the investigation into illegitimate Kirchner assets in 2010, but despite many disparities involving large sums of money, Judge Oyarbide dismissed the case.
in La Nación
, August 26, 2007. The battle for common sense: the road to a kirchnerist hegemony? by Raquel San Martín in La Nación
, April 18, 2011
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
, president of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from 2003 to 2007, and of his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner , commonly known as Cristina Fernández or Cristina Kirchner is the 55th and current President of Argentina and the widow of former President Néstor Kirchner. She is Argentina's first elected female president, and the second female president ever to serve...
, President from 2007. Although the Kirchners are allied with the Peronist
Peronism
Peronism , or Justicialism , is an Argentine political movement based on the programmes associated with former President Juan Perón and his second wife, Eva Perón...
Justicialist Party
Justicialist Party
The Justicialist Party , or PJ, is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.The party was led by Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, until his death on October 27, 2010. The current Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de...
, Peronism itself is an ample movement, and many Peronists oppose them ("Anti-Kirchnerist Peronism"). Kirchnerists are often distinguished with the letter K, for instance radicales K.
In response, the term "Anti-Kirchnerism" has arisen to describe those sectors and persons, as much within as without Peronism, who opposed the governments of Kirchner and Fernández, and her selection as candidate in 2007.
Characteristics
Both Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner come from the left wing of Peronism, and both began their political careers as members of the Peronist Youth (Juventud Peronista). Many of the Kirchners' closest allies belong to the Peronist left. Antikirchnerists often criticize this ideological background with the term setentista ("seventies-ist"), suggesting that Kirchnerism is overly influenced by the populist struggle of the 1970s.- Kirchnerism has shown itself to be concerned with the defense of human rightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, particularly in prosecuting those who committed human rights violations during the Dirty WarDirty WarThe Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
and were later made immune from prosecution by the governments of Raúl AlfonsínRaúl AlfonsínRaúl Ricardo Alfonsín was an Argentine lawyer, politician and statesman, who served as the President of Argentina from December 10, 1983, to July 8, 1989. Alfonsín was the first democratically-elected president of Argentina following the military government known as the National Reorganization...
(1983–1989) and Carlos MenemCarlos MenemCarlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
(1989–1999). The willingness of the Kirchner government to revoke these immunities has led many Argentine human rights organizations, such as the Madres de Plaza de Mayo and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo to take an actively Kirchnerist position. This has led to many controversies, alleging that the Kirchners never were fully committed to the humans rights, especially during the last militar dictatorship, and only when Néstor Kirchner became president and start make alliances with the left parties of the congress, and Madres de Plaza de Mayo, they started with a full campaign about this rights to promote his platform and gain the popular favor. - Kirchnerism has shown itself to be expressly opposed to neoliberalNeoliberalismNeoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
policies. - Economically, Kirchnerism has pursued an economic policy of industrialist developmentalism.
- Kirchnerism has strongly opposed multilateral and bilateral free tradeFree tradeUnder a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
agreements pursued by the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The climax of this policy occurred with the confrontation between Kirchner and George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
at the Mar del Plata Summit of the AmericasMar del Plata Summit of the AmericasThe 4th Summit of the Americas was held at Mar del Plata, about southeast of Buenos Aires in Argentina, on November 4-5, 2005.This summit gathered together the leaders of all the countries of the American continent, except Cuba. Major security arrangements and massive popular protests against the...
in 2005, which resulted in Argentina's refusal to sign the FTAAFree Trade Area of the AmericasThe Free Trade Area of the Americas , , ) was a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce the trade barriers among all countries in the Americas but Cuba. In the last round of negotiations, trade ministers from 34 countries met in Miami, United States, in November 2003 to discuss the proposal...
agreement. - Internationally, Kirchnerism has strongly supported MercosurMercosurMercosur or Mercosul is an economic and political agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Founded in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was later amended and updated by the 1994 Treaty of Ouro Preto. Its purpose is to promote free trade and the fluid movement of goods, people,...
and vice-versa, to the point that the president of Mercosur, Carlos ÁlvarezCarlos Álvarez (vice-president)Carlos Alberto "Chacho" Álvarez is an Argentine politician; he was Vice-President of Argentina during part of President Fernando de la Rúa's mandate, and currently heads the Aladi Secretariat....
, is a Kirchnerist. - One of the most prominent positions of Kirchnerism is to strengthen Argentine relations with the countries of Latin America and to establish a South American economic axis with BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. - Kirchnerism, in particular the minister of health Ginés García, has shown a markedly progressive attitude to birth controlBirth controlBirth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
and sexuality, which has provoked the opposition of the Catholic Church and other conservative sectors.
Transversalism
Unlike his predecessor Eduardo DuhaldeEduardo Duhalde
-External links:...
, Néstor Kirchner was a Peronist but distrusted the Justicialist Party
Justicialist Party
The Justicialist Party , or PJ, is a Peronist political party in Argentina, and the largest component of the Peronist movement.The party was led by Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, until his death on October 27, 2010. The current Argentine president, Cristina Fernández de...
as a support for his government. He proposed instead a "Transversalist" policy, seeking the support of progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
politicians regardless of their party. Thus, he got support from factions of the PJ, the Radical Civic Union
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union is a political party in Argentina. The party's positions on issues range from liberal to social democratic. The UCR is a member of the Socialist International. Founded in 1891 by radical liberals, it is the oldest political party active in Argentina...
(which were called "Radicales K") and small centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
parties. Kirchner neglected the internal politics of the PJ, and kept instead the Front for Victory
Front for Victory
The Front for Victory is a Peronist political party and electoral alliance in Argentina, although it is formally a faction of the Justicialist Party. Both the former President Néstor Kirchner and the current President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner belong to this party, located on the left-wing...
party, which was initially created ad hoc for the 2003 election. Some politicians favored by this policy were Aníbal Ibarra
Aníbal Ibarra
Aníbal Ibarra is an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as mayor of Buenos Aires from 2000 to 2006.-Biography:Ibarra was born in Lomas de Zamora, a district located in the southern region of Greater Buenos Aires. His father was a Paraguayan member of the PLRA who left his country during the...
, mayor of Buenos Aires for the Broad Front and supported as Kirchnerist, and Julio Cobos
Julio Cobos
Julio César Cleto Cobos is an Argentine politician, currently serving as the Vice President of Argentina alongside President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He started his political career as member of the Radical Civic Union , becoming Governor of Mendoza in 2003...
, governor of Mendoza for the UCR and elected as vicepresident of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in 2007.
The Transversalist project was eventually dismissed. Kirchner took control of the PJ, and the "Radicales K" slowly returned to their own party.
Criticism
Kirchnerism has encountered opposition from various sectors of Argentine society, who tend to criticize its personalismPersonalism
Personalism is a philosophical school of thought searching to describe the uniqueness of a human person in the world of nature, specifically in relation to animals...
and a disinclination to build consensus with the political opposition. It has been accused of undermining the democratic system, and has been compared both to fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. These critics are unfounded, as Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner just won her reelection by 54%.
During Cristina Kirchner´s first year as president and Néstor Kirchner as ex-president, the assets of the couple increased as never before: throughout 2008, their net worth grew from 17,824,941 to 46,036,711 pesos which implies an increase of 158 per cent. The initial assets when Néstor Kirchner assumed the presidency were of 2 millions pesos, the Kirchners’ assets increased by 572% since they arrived in the Government House in 2003.
Opponents have accused the Kirchners of exploiting political connections in their home state of Santa Cruz to buy municipal land cheaply and sell it at a vast profit.
Federal Judge Norberto Oyarbide was in charge of the investigation into illegitimate Kirchner assets in 2010, but despite many disparities involving large sums of money, Judge Oyarbide dismissed the case.
External links
Kirchnerism launches its own syndical movement, Clarín, February 12, 2006 Practical guide to the complexities of Kirchnerism, by Diego Schurman, Página/12, February 12, 2006 When and how will Kirchnerism be defeated?, by Mariano GrondonaMariano Grondona
Mariano Grondona is an Argentine lawyer, sociologist, political scientist, essayist and commentator. He has been a journalist for several decades, appearing in print media and on television, and has written several books...
in La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
, August 26, 2007. The battle for common sense: the road to a kirchnerist hegemony? by Raquel San Martín in La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
, April 18, 2011