Kirchner, Néstor Carlos

Kirchner, Néstor Carlos, 1950–, Argentinean politician. A native of Patagonia, he is a lawyer and left-wing Peronist and, after two brief imprisonments, was in private practice during the 1976–83 military dictatorship. Elected mayor of his native Río Gallegos in 1987, he ran for the governorship of Santa Cruz prov. in 1991 and won. He was reelected in 1995 and 1999. In 2003 he mounted a campaign for the Argentinean presidency, securing the office after he narrowly lost the first round and the unpopular former president Menem withdrew from the runoff. Kirchner became the first native of Patagonia to be elected Argentina's president. In office Kirchner has negotiated improved terms for Argentina's burdensome debt and benefited from an improving economy. He also ended the amnesty that had protected members of the military accused of human-rights abuses during the dictatorship.