Argentina gets first woman president

Published December 11, 2007

BUENOS AIRES: The first woman to be elected president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner was sworn in on Monday, taking over the South American nation’s top job from her husband.

Kirchner, 54, who is often compared to New York Senator Hillary Clinton, was sworn in before the two chambers of Congress in the presence of 160 foreign delegations.

Chants of “Viva Cristina” erupted from the public gallery after outgoing President Nestor Kirchner handed over the presidential staff to his wife.

A first in Argentina, the transfer of power from husband to wife symbolized the political continuity the new president has vowed to follow.

The first couple insisted she alone will make the decisions.

Cristina Kirchner began her political career as a provincial deputy in 1989, and later went on to become a national legislator, gaining notoriety for her vocal battles with then-president Carlos Menem.

In 2005, she became a senator for the province of Buenos Aires, home to 40 percent of Argentina’s electorate.

Her left-of-center politics, like those of her husband, are described as Peronist, a vaguely defined political philosophy named after former president Juan Domingo Peron.

An admirer of US presidential hopeful and former first lady Hillary Clinton, the glamorous “Cristina” is the first woman ever elected to lead Argentina.

She also has been compared to the iconic “Evita,” Peron’s second wife who had a formidable influence on her husband’s government in the 1940s and 1950s but never served as president. Peron’s third wife, Isabel, served as president after his 1974 death but was never elected to the position.

Opinion

Editorial

Al Qadir ruling
Updated 18 Jan, 2025

Al Qadir ruling

One wonders whether the case is as closed as PTI’s critics would have one believe.
Atlantic tragedy
Updated 18 Jan, 2025

Atlantic tragedy

The only long-term solution lies in addressing root causes of illegal migration: financial misery and a lack of economic opportunities at home.
Cheap promises?
18 Jan, 2025

Cheap promises?

TALK is cheap. Can electricity also be? The government has recently announced that Pakistan will benefit from the...
Never again
Updated 17 Jan, 2025

Never again

The Gaza genocide has also revealed the utter helplessness of the Palestinian Authority in projecting Palestine’s case globally.
World Bank loan
17 Jan, 2025

World Bank loan

THAT the World Bank will give $20bn to Pakistan in the next 10 years to address some of the country’s most acute...
India’s dangerous game
17 Jan, 2025

India’s dangerous game

THE latest inflammatory remarks by India’s military brass about Pakistan mark a troubling departure from the...