Alberto Fernández

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Alberto Ángel Fernández (Template:IPA; born 2 April 1959) is an Argentine politician, lawyer, and academic who served as President of Argentina from 2019 to 2023. He was also the Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers from 2003 to 2008. His tenure as Cabinet Chief remains the longest since the post was created in 1994.

Born in Buenos Aires, Fernández attended the University of Buenos Aires, where he earned his law degree at age 24, and later became a professor of criminal law. Ideologically a Peronist, entered public service as an adviser to Deliberative Council of Buenos Aires and the Argentine Chamber of Deputies. In 2003, he was appointed Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers, serving during the entirety of the presidency of Néstor Kirchner, and the early months of the presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

A member of the Justicialist Party,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> a Peronist party, Fernández was the party's candidate for the 2019 presidential election under the leftist Frente de Todos alliance and defeated incumbent president Mauricio Macri with 48% of the vote. His political position has been described as centrist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The first two years of his presidency was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, during which he imposed strict lockdown measures to suppress the spread of the disease,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a debt crisis inherited from his predecessor.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While the economy recovered in 2021–22,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> inflation rose to 100% (the highest since 1991).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His approval ratings were constantly low throughout his presidency, only in few certain occasions over 50% approval rate, with disapproval ratings from 60% to 80%.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

According to British newspaper The Economist, Fernández was considered "a president without a plan", and his presidency to be a "weak administration".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In April 2023, Fernández announced that he decided to not seek reelection to the presidency in the 2023 presidential election.<ref name="LMM">Template:Cite web</ref> He was succeeded by Javier Milei on 10 December 2023.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Leaving office with a disapproval rate of around 80%,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fernández's presidency is widely regarded by critics and historians as one of the worst in Argentine history.<ref>Multiple sources:

Early life and career

Fernández was born in Buenos Aires, the son of Celia Pérez and her first husband. Separated from the latter, Celia (sister of the personal photographer of Juan Domingo Perón) married Judge Carlos Pelagio Galíndez (son of a Senator of the Radical Civic Union).<ref name="20minutos">Template:Cite web</ref> Fernández, who barely knew his biological father, considers Pelagio to be his father.<ref name="20minutos" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fernández attended the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Law. He graduated at the age of 24, and later became a professor of criminal law. He entered public service as an adviser to Deliberative Council of Buenos Aires and the Argentine Chamber of Deputies. He became deputy director of Legal Affairs of the Economy Ministry, and in this capacity served as chief Argentine negotiator at the GATT Uruguay Round. Nominated by newly elected President Carlos Menem to serve as Superintendent of Insurance, Fernández served as President of the Latin American Insurance Managers' Association from 1989 to 1992, and co-founded the Insurance Managers International Association. He also served as adviser to Mercosur and ALADI on insurance law, and was involved in insurance and health services companies in the private sector. Fernández was named one of the Ten Outstanding Young People of Argentina in 1992, and was awarded the Millennium Award as one of the nation's Businessmen of the Century.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During this time he became politically close to former Buenos Aires Province Governor Eduardo Duhalde.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He was elected on 7 June 2000, to the Buenos Aires City Legislature on the conservative Action for the Republic ticket led by former Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo.

Chief of the Cabinet (2003–2008)

He gave up his seat when he was appointed Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers by President Néstor Kirchner upon taking office on 25 May 2003, and retained the same post under Kirchner's wife and successor, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, upon her election in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A new system of variable taxes on agricultural exports led to the 2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector, during which Fernández acted as the government's chief negotiator. The negotiations failed, however, and following Vice President Julio Cobos' surprise, tie-breaking vote against the bill in the Senate, Fernández resigned on 23 July 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Pre-presidency

He was named head of the City of Buenos Aires chapter of the Justicialist Party, but minimized his involvement in Front for Victory campaigns for Congress in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fernández actively considered seeking the Justicialist Party presidential nomination ahead of the 2011 general elections.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He ultimately endorsed President Cristina Kirchner for re-election, however.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was campaign manager of the presidential candidacy of Sergio Massa in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Presidential elections

Presidential campaign

Template:Main On 18 May 2019, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced that Fernández would be a candidate for president, and that she would run for vice president alongside him, hosting his first campaign rally with Santa Cruz Governor Alicia Kirchner, sister-in-law of the former Kirchner.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

About a month later, seeking to broaden his appeal to moderates, Fernández struck a deal with Sergio Massa to form an alliance called Frente de Todos, wherein Massa would be offered a role within a potential Fernández administration, or be given a key role within the Chamber of Deputies in exchange for dropping out of the presidential race and offering his support.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fernández also earned the endorsement of the General Confederation of Labor, receiving their support in exchange for promising that he will boost the economy, and that there will be no labor reform.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

General elections

On 11 August 2019, Fernández won first place in the 2019 primary elections, earning 47.7% of the vote, compared to incumbent President Mauricio Macri's 31.8%.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fernández thereafter held a press conference where he said he called Macri to say that he would help Macri complete his term and "bring calm to society and markets", and that his economic proposals do not run the risk of defaulting on the national debt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the 27 October general election, Fernández won the presidency by attaining 48.1% of the vote to Macri's 40.4%, exceeding the threshold required to win without the need for a ballotage.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In Argentina, a presidential candidate can win outright by either garnering at least 45 percent of the vote, or winning 40 percent of the vote while being 10 points ahead of his or her nearest challenger. He owed his victory mainly to carrying Buenos Aires Province by over 1.6 million votes, accounting for almost all of his nationwide margin of 2.1 million votes. By comparison, Daniel Scioli only carried the country's largest province by 219,000 votes four years earlier.

Presidency (2019–2023)

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Inauguration

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Fernández was sworn in on 10 December 2019.

Economic policy

Template:See also On 14 December, the government established by decree the emergency in occupational matters and double compensation for dismissal without just cause for six months.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

His first legislative initiative, the Social Solidarity and Productive Recovery Bill, was passed by Congress on 23 December.<ref name="btimes">Template:Cite web</ref> The bill includes tax hikes on foreign currency purchases, agricultural exports, wealth, and car sales - as well as tax incentives for production. Amid the worst recession in nearly two decades, it provided a 180-day freeze on utility rates, bonuses for the nation's retirees and Universal Allocation per Child beneficiaries, and food cards to two million of Argentina's poorest families. It also gave the president additional powers to renegotiate debt terms – with Argentina seeking to restructure its US$100 billion debt with private bondholders and US$45 billion borrowed by Macri from the International Monetary Fund.<ref name="btimes" /> As the capital controls stayed in effect and with no prospect of being removed, the country was degraded from emerging market to standalone market by MSCI.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Organizations of the agricultural sector, including Sociedad Rural Argentina, CONINAGRO, Argentine Agrarian Federation and Argentine Rural Confederations, rejected the increase in taxes on agricultural exports. Despite these conflicts, Fernández announced the three-point increase in withholding tax on soybeans on the day of the opening of the regular sessions, on 1 March and generated major problems in the relationship between the government and the agricultural sector.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Argentina defaulted again on 22 May 2020 by failing to pay $500 million on its due date to its creditors. Negotiations for the restructuring of $66 billion of its debt continue.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The International Monetary Fund reported that the COVID-19 crisis would plunge Argentina's GDP by 9.9 percent, after the country's economy contracted by 5.4 percent in first quarter of 2020, with unemployment rising over 10.4 percent in the first three months of the year, before the lockdown started.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 4 August, Fernández reached an accord with the biggest creditors on terms for a restructuring of $65bn in foreign bonds, after a breakthrough in talks that had at times looked close to collapse since the country's ninth debt default in May.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 22 September, as part of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, official reports showed a 19% year-on-year drop in the GDP for the second quarter of 2020, the biggest drop in the country's history.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Investment went down 38% from the previous year.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The poverty rate rose to 42% in the second half of 2020, the highest since 2004.<ref name="poverty">Template:Cite web</ref> Child poverty reached the 57.7% of minors of 14 years.<ref name="poverty" />

Social policy

On 31 December 2019, Fernández announced that he would send a bill in 2020 to discuss the legalization of abortion, ratified his support for its approval, and expressed his wish for "sensible debate".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, in June 2020, he stated that he was "attending to more urgent matters" (referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the debt restructuring), and that "he'll send the bill at some point".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 2020, Fernández's legal secretary, Vilma Ibarra, confirmed that the government would be sending a new bill for the legalization of abortion to the National Congress that month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Executive sent the bill, alongside another bill oriented towards women's health care (the "1000 Days Plan"), on 17 November 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The bill was passed by the Senate, legalizing abortion in Argentina, on 30 December 2020.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 1 March, he also announced a restructuring of the Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI), including the publications of its accounts - which had been made secret by Macri in a 2016 decree.<ref name="btimes2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The AFI had been criticized for targeting public figures for political purposes.<ref name="btimes2" />

On 17 August, protests took place in many cities across Argentina against measures taken by Fernández, primarily the Justice Reform Bill his government had sent to the Congress, but also, among other causes: for the "defense of institutions" and "separation of powers", against the government's quarantine measures, the perceived lack of liberty and the increase in crime, and a raise on state pensions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 4 September 2020, Fernández signed a Necessity and Urgency Decree (Decreto 721/2020) establishing a 1% employment quota for trans and travesti people in the national public sector. The measure had been previously debated in the Chamber of Deputies as various prospective bills.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The decree mandates that at any given point, at least 1% of all public sector workers in the national government must be transgender, as understood in the 2012 Gender Identity Law.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 20 July 2021, Fernández signed another Necessity and Urgency Decree (Decreto 476/2021) mandating the National Registry of Persons (RENAPER) to allow a third gender option on all national identity cards and passports, marked as an "X". The measure applies to non-citizen permanent residents who possess Argentine identity cards as well.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In compliance with the 2012 Gender Identity Law, this made Argentina one of the few countries in the world to legally recognize non-binary gender on all official documentation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 12 November 2020 Fernández signed a decree legalizing the self-cultivation and regulating the sales and subsidized access of medical cannabis, expanding upon a 2017 bill that legalized the use and research of the plant and its derivatives.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2019, during his presidential campaign, he had signaled his intention to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, but not other types of drugs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Foreign relations

Meeting with Pope Francis on 31 January 2020

During his administration, Argentina's relationship with Brazil became somewhat strained.<ref name="Ochoa">Template:Cite web</ref> Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro refused to attend Fernández's inauguration, accusing him of wanting to create a "great Bolivarian homeland" on the border and of preparing to provoke a flight of capital and companies into Brazil.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fernández and Bolsonaro had their first conversation through a video conference on 30 November 2020, during which both presidents agreed on the importance of cooperation and the role of Mercosur.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

U.S. President Donald Trump's top adviser for the Western Hemisphere, Mauricio Claver-Carone, crossed Fernández in 2019 saying: "We want to know if Alberto Fernández will be a defender of democracy or an apologist for dictatorships and leaders in the region, whether it be Maduro, Correa or Morales."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Under Fernández, Argentina has retired in the Lima Group formed by North and South American nations to address the crisis in Venezuela, after not subscribing to any of the Group's statements and resolutions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Argentina voted in favor of the United Nations resolution to back the continuity of the UN Human Rights Office report on human rights violations in Venezuela.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Under Fernández, Argentina withdrew recognition of Juan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2020, the Fernández administration revoked Elisa Trotta Gamus credentials, who was Guaidó's envoy to Argentina and whose representation had been approved by the Macri administration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, Fernández also refused to recognize Maduro's envoy Stella Lugo's credentials and Foreign Minister Felipe Solá asked her to return to Caracas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Alberto Fernández questioned the conclusions the Organization of American States that the reelection of Evo Morales was unconstitutional for electoral fraud. Fernández's government recognized Morales as the legitimate President of Bolivia, and granted him asylum in Argentina in December 2019.<ref name="Diario">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 9 November 2020, with Luis Arce's victory in 2020, Fernández personally accompanied Morales to the Argentine border with Bolivia, wherein the two leaders held a public act celebrating Morales's return to his home country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2020, Fernández traveled to Israel for his first presidential trip abroad. There he paid respects to the victims of the Holocaust and maintained a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who thanked him for keeping Hezbollah branded as a terrorist organization, a measure taken by former President Mauricio Macri.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Regarding Argentina's strained relations with Iran, Fernández publicly defended the Memorandum of understanding between Argentina and Iran,<ref name=strained>Template:Cite news</ref> although critical of this prior to taking office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2020, Fernández asked Iran before the UN General Assembly to "cooperate with the Argentine justice" to bring justice to the cause and extradite those Iranian officials who stand accused of the attack. He further stated that if the officials were to be found innocent, "they could freely return to Iran or otherwise face the consequences for their actions."<ref name=strained/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Alberto Fernández has developed close ties with China and visited Beijing during the 2022 Winter Olympics,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> where China expressed support for Argentina's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2022, Fernández was elected president pro tempore of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), succeeding Mexico's Andrés Manuel López Obrador.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Fernández condemned the invasion and called on Russia to end military actions in Ukraine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the UN, Argentina voted to condemn the Russian invasion and demanded a full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.<ref name="UN Human Rights Council">Template:Cite tweet</ref> In July 2022, Fernández stated further support to Ukraine in a phone conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to whom he promised to deliver more humanitarian aid to Ukraine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fernández rejected sanctions against Russia and did not want to send weapons to Ukraine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2023, Fernández condemned Azerbaijan for the blockade of the Lachin corridor and urged the international community to "act preemptively" to avoid "new persecutions" of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Position during COVID-19 pandemic and measures

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fernandez's government announced a country-wide lockdown, in effect from 20 March until 31 March, later extended until 12 April.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The lockdown was further renewed on 27 April, 11 May, 25 May, 8 June, 1 July, 18 July, 3 August, 17 August, 31 August and 21 September, and included several measures including travel, transport and citizen movement restrictions, stay-at-home orders, store closures and reduced operating hours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Responses to the outbreak have included restrictions on commerce and movement, closure of borders, and the closure of schools and educational institutions.<ref name="15Mar-sus">Template:Cite news</ref> The announcement of the lockdown was generally well received, although there were concerns with its economic impact in the already delicate state of Argentina's economy, with analysts predicting at least 3% GDP decrease in 2020.<ref name="ft-debt">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fernandez later announced a 700 billion pesos (US$11.1 billion) stimulus package, worth 2% of the country's GDP.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ft-debt"/> After announced a mandatory quarantine to every person that returned to Argentina from highly affected countries,<ref name="11Mar1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="11Mar2">Template:Cite news</ref> the government closed its borders, ports, and suspended flights.<ref name="15Mar-sus" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 23 March, Fernández asked the Chinese president Xi Jinping for 1,500 ventilators as Argentina had only 8,890 available.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="tests-malbran">Template:Cite news</ref>

Included in the package was the announcement of a one-time emergency payment of 10,000 pesos (US$152, as of 20 March) to lower-income individuals whose income was affected by the lockdown, including retirees.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Because banks were excluded in the list of businesses that were considered essential in Fernandez's lockdown decree, they remained closed until the Central Bank announced banks would open during a weekend starting on 3 April.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Due to Argentina's notoriously low level of banking penetration, many Argentines, particularly retirees, do not possess bank accounts and are used to withdraw funds and pensions in cash.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The decision to open banks for only three days on a reduced-hours basis sparked widespread outrage as hundreds of thousands of retirees (coronavirus' highest risk group) flocked to bank branches in order to withdraw their monthly pension and emergency payment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Due to the national lockdown, the economic activity suffered a collapse of nearly 10% in March 2020 according to a consultant firm. The highest drop was of the construction sector (32%) versus March 2019. Every economic sector suffered a collapse, with finance, commerce, manufacturing industry and mining being the most affected. The agriculture sector was the least affected, but overall the economic activity for the first trimester of 2020 accumulates a 5% contraction. It is expected that the extension of the lockdown beyond April would increase the collapse of the Argentinian economy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March, the primary fiscal deficit jumped to US$1,394 million, an 857% increase year-to-year. This was due to the public spending to combat the pandemic and the drop in tax collection due to low activity in a context of social isolation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Schools were closed for over a year, and it is estimated that 1.5 million of kids abandoned school, 13% of the total.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Despite the government's hard lockdown policy, Fernández has been harshly criticized<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> for not following the appropriate protocols himself. This included traveling throughout the country, taking pictures with large groups of supporters without properly wearing a mask nor respecting social distancing,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and holding social gatherings with union leaders.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 3 September, despite most local governments still enforcing strict lockdown measures, Fernández stated that "there is no lockdown",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and that such thoughts had "been instilled by the opposition", as part of a political agenda.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Fernández eased some lockdown measures in the Greater Buenos Aires on 6 November 2020, shifting to a "social distancing" phase.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 21 January 2021, Fernández became the first Latin American leader to be inoculated against the disease via the recently approved Gam-COVID-Vac (better known as Sputnik V).<ref name="AFvaccine">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 7 December 2021, Fernández received his booster dose of the vaccine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Ginés González García was forced to resign as Health Minister on 19 February 2021<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> after it was revealed he provided preferential treatment for the COVID-19 vaccine to his close friends, including journalist Horacio Verbitsky and other political figures. He was succeeded by the second in charge Carla Vizzotti. The revelation was met with wide national condemnation from supporters and opposition, as Argentina had at the time received only 1.5 million<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> doses of vaccine for its population of 40 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Fernández tested positive for the COVID-19 on 2 April 2021 having a "light fever".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Justicialist Party chairmanship

On 22 March 2021, Fernández was elected by the national congress of the Justicialist Party as the party's new national chairman, succeeding José Luis Gioja.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fernández ran unopposed, heading the Unidad y Federalismo list, which received the support of diverse sectors in the Peronist movement, including La Cámpora.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Midterm elections 2021

Confirming the trend of that year's primary elections, the Frente de Todos suffered major losses in the November 2021 legislative elections. The FDT lost its majority in the Senate (the first time in nearly 40 years that Peronists lost control of the upper house), and the opposition Juntos por el Cambio coalition gained the upper hand in traditional peronist strongholds, such as La Pampa and Santa Cruz. Observers attributed the loss to the widespread anger over high inflation and rising poverty.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref> The reduced pluralities in both houses of Congress meaning the government will now have to engage in negotiations to pass any initiative requiring legislative approval.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Controversies

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Allegations of racism

On 9 June 2021, Fernández was at a meeting with business leaders alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at the Casa Rosada. When he sought to play up the Argentinian ties with Europe, he said "The Mexicans came from the Indians, the Brazilians came from the jungle, but we Argentines came from the ships. And they were ships that came from Europe." Fernández erroneously attributed the quote to the Mexican poet, essayist and diplomat Octavio Paz, although it had originated from lyrics by local musician and personal friend Litto Nebbia. Faced with the negative backlash to his comments, on the same day Fernández apologized on Twitter<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the next day sent a letter to the director of the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI), clarifying his comments.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Violations of COVID-19 rules

In August 2021, it was revealed that there had been numerous visits to the presidential palace during the lockdown that he had imposed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; visitors included an actress, a dog trainer, and a hairdresser, as well as hosting a birthday party for the First Lady.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rejection of a Supreme Court ruling

In December 2022, Fernandez sparked a battle with the Supreme Court of Argentina and a legal crisis after he said he would reject a ruling it made to give a larger proportion of state funds to the city of Buenos Aires. In a ruling the Supreme Court said the level of funds to Buenos Aires should be raised from 1.4% of the total pool of funds to 2.95% after it was cut by government decree during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He said the ruling was unjustified and pledged to ignore it; "it is an unprecedented, incongruous, and impossible-to-enforce ruling", calling the decision politically motivated ahead of general elections next year and adding that it would hurt the other provinces. His remarks sparked off a backlash, with critics saying the rejection of a Supreme Court decision set a dangerous precedent and undermined the justice system, while several provincial governors sided with Fernandez and criticized the court ruling. Buenos Aires city mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, criticized the declaration of Fernandez, saying; "the president decided to break the constitutional order, completely violate the rule of law and attack democracy." Various industry groups criticized the move as dangerous to the rule of law.<ref name="Reuters">Template:Cite news</ref>

Other controversies

Fernández has engaged in disputes with users on Twitter before his presidency, in which his reactions have been regarded as aggressive or violent by some.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":02">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tweets show him responding to other users with expletives such as "pelotudo" (Argentinian slang for "asshole"),<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref name=":12">Template:Cite news</ref> "pajero" ("wanker"),<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref name=":02" /> and "hijo de puta" ("son of a bitch");<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he also called presidential candidate José Luis Espert "Pajert", a word play between his last name and the Argentine slang for "wanker".<ref name=":12" /> In December 2017, he responded to a female user by saying, "Girl, what you think doesn't worry me. You better learn how to cook. Maybe then you can do something right. Thinking is not your strong suit".<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2020, he told journalist Cristina Pérez to "go read the Constitution", after being questioned about his attempts to install a government-designated administration in the Vicentín agricultural conglomerate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In a 2017 interview for the Netflix mini-series Nisman: The Prosecutor, the President, and the Spy, Fernández stated that "To this day, I doubt that [Nisman] committed suicide";<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> however, after he became president in 2020, Fernández reportedly said, "I am convinced that it was a suicide, after doubting it a lot, I am not going to lie."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was referring to Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor investigating Fernández's vice president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for her suspected cover-up of Iran's participation in the 1994 AMIA bombing. Nisman accused Fernández de Kirchner of secretly negotiating with Iranian officials to cover up their complicity in the attack in exchange for oil to reduce Argentina's energy deficit. Officially, the agreement called for the exchange of Argentinian grain for Iranian oil.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nisman was found dead in his apartment on 18 January 2015, only hours before he was scheduled to present his report to Congress.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Post-presidency (2023–present)

Alberto Fernández was invited by the National Electoral Council of Venezuela to be an observer of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election. Before leaving he was interviewed by Radio con Vos. He said "If Maduro is defeated, what he has to do is to accept it. As Lula said (n: the president of Brazil, Lula da Silva), who wins, wins, and who loses, loses. Period. The end. Democracy is like that. I'm not going to legalize anyone, but do as asked, be an observer in the elections so everything works out smoothly".<ref name="veedor"/> The following day he was called by the presidency of Venezuela and told not to travel, as his words would suggest that he was not going to be an impartial observer.<ref name="veedor">Template:Cite web</ref>

Fernández stepped down as president of the Justicialist Party after several photos that allegedly showed the injuries that Fabiola Yáñez suffered after being physically abused by him were published by Infobae.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He has also been accused of "sexual violence" as he forced Yáñez into having an abortion in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 14 August 2024, Fernández was indicted on charges of domestic abuse against Yáñez.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Fernández married Marcela Luchetti, a fellow University of Buenos Aires law student, in 1993.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They separated in 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fernández and Luchetti have a single child.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

From 2014 to 2024, Fernández was in a relationship with journalist and stage actress Fabiola Yáñez, who fulfilled the role of First Lady of Argentina during Fernández's presidency. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The couple owns three dogs: Dylan<ref name=infobae1>Template:Cite web</ref> (named after Bob Dylan, whom Fernández has praised and cited as an inspiration<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>) and two of Dylan's puppies, Prócer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Kaila.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 23 September 2021, the presidential office's medical unit announced Yáñez was expecting her first child.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yáñez and Fernández's son, Francisco Fernández Yáñez, was born on 11 April 2022 at Sanatorio Otamendi, in Buenos Aires.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 6 August 2024, Yáñez accused Fernández of domestic abuse during their tenure as president and first lady respectively; Fernández denied the allegations. An Argentine court banned Fernández from leaving the country while the investigation is underway.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 14 August, the Argentine federal prosecutor's office requested the indictment of Alberto Fernandez for "assault and battery with aggravating circumstances".<ref name=":2" />

Fernández is also an Honorary Professor of Tsinghua University.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fernández is a supporter of Argentinos Juniors' football team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Electoral history

Executive

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Election	Office	List		Votes			Result	Template:Abbr.
Election	Office	List		Total	%	Template:Abbr.	Result	Template:Abbr.
2019	President of Argentina	style="background-color:Template:Party color;"\|	Frente de Todos	12,946,037	48.24%	1st	Template:Yes2	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Legislative

Template:Sronly
Election	Office	List		Template:Abbr	District	Votes			Result	Template:Abbr.
Election	Office	List		Template:Abbr	District	Total	%	Template:Abbr.	Result	Template:Abbr.
2000	City Legislator		Encounter for the City	11	Buenos Aires	548,324	30.82%	2ndTemplate:Efn	Template:Yes2	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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References

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External links

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Website of Alberto Fernández Template:Webarchive (in Spanish)
Biography by CIDOB (in Spanish)

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Alberto Fernández

Contents

Early life and career

Chief of the Cabinet (2003–2008)

Pre-presidency