Former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner died yesterday after suffering a heart attack, state television reported. The husband of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez died in the Patagonian city of Calafate. Fernandez was at his side when he died, state television reported.
Kirchner, 60, had undergone an angioplasty after a heart attack last month.
Kirchner a likely candidate in next year’s presidential elections, was secretary general of the South American alliance known as Unasur and also served as a congressman and leader of the Peronist party.
“A great patriot has died,” said Juan Carlos Dante Gullo, a ruling party congressman, to state TV. “This will leave a huge hole in Argentine politics. We will have to follow his example. Argentina has lost one of its greatest men.”
Kirchner brought Argentina out of severe economic crisis before being replaced in office by his wife.
Kirchner was a little-known governor from a Patagonian oil province when he was elected in 2003 after former president Carlos Menem quit the race. Kirchner oversaw Argentina’s recovery from the 2001-2002 crisis and many Argentines credit him with fighting poverty and unemployment.
After meeting his wife at law school in the turbulent 1970s, the couple took turns in the political limelight. She was a close advisor during his 2003-2007 rule and he was a key economic advisor since she succeeded him in December 2007.
Kirchner’s popularity closely tracked approval ratings for his wife’s presidency that have rebounded from lows of about 20 percent alongside an economic recovery.
In their back-to-back tenures, Kirchner and his wife increased state control of the economy, intervening in financial and grains markets and maintaining price controls that analysts say have dampened investment in the energy sector.
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