Death and state funeral of Néstor Kirchner
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Néstor Kirchner Néstor Carlos Kirchner (; 25 February 195027 October 2010) was an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, Governor of Santa Cruz Province from 1991 to 2003, Secretary General of UNASUR and ...
, former
President of Argentina The president of Argentina ( es, Presidente de Argentina), officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Presidente de la Nación Argentina), is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under the national cons ...
, died of heart failure on the morning of 27 October 2010 at the Jose Formenti hospital in El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province at the age of 60. Efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.Consternación por la muerte del ex presidente Néstor Kirchner
His wife, President
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner (; born 19 February 1953), often referred to by her initials CFK, is an Argentine lawyer and politician who has served as the Vice President of Argentina since 2019. She also served as the President o ...
, was present with him when he died. He was expected to run for president in 2011. He had two coronary interventions earlier that year. On 7 February 2010, he developed problems with the
common carotid artery In anatomy, the left and right common carotid arteries (carotids) (Entry "carotid"
in
in a state funeral at the
Casa Rosada The ''Casa Rosada'' (, eng, Pink House) is the office of the president of Argentina. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the president lives at the Quinta de ...
attended by several Argentine personalities and eight
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n leaders. Starting 29 October afternoon, a massive popular procession accompanied the remains of Néstor Kirchner from Casa Rosada to the metropolitan airport, and then from the airport of
Río Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for " river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, ...
to the cemetery.


Funeral

His private funeral was attended by his family and close friends. A state funeral was held on 28 October 2010, while a vigil was kept at the
Casa Rosada The ''Casa Rosada'' (, eng, Pink House) is the office of the president of Argentina. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the president lives at the Quinta de ...
presidential palace in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, starting on the morning of 28 October, with the attendance of
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n leaders. President Cristina Kirchner and her two children, Máximo and Florencia, also attended the funeral services. Presidents
Evo Morales Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to c ...
,
José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and im ...
,
Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
,
Fernando Lugo Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez (; born 30 May 1951) is a Paraguayan politician and laicized Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously he was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop, serving as Bishop of the Dioc ...
,
Rafael Correa Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado (; born 6 April 1963), known as Rafael Correa, is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation ...
,
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, Juan Manuel Santos and
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
joined her at the wake. Opposition party leaders and other notable people from the fields of arts, entertainment, and professional sports also paid tribute to Kirchner’s political savvy by attending his funeral, among tens of thousands of Argentine private citizens that waited in line to enter the ''Latin American patriots'' hall, where Néstor Kirchner’s body stood in state. Tens of thousands of people, in a demonstration of popular grief and support for president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, spontaneously gathered at
Plaza de Mayo The Plaza de Mayo (; en, May Square) is a city square and main foundational site of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was formed in 1884 after the demolition of the Recova building, unifying the city's Plaza Mayor and Plaza de Armas, by that time kn ...
,
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, on the night of 27 October. Thousands of them spent the night in the open waiting for the state funeral to take place There were posters bearing the slogan "Néstor forever, hang in there Cristina." Mourners and supporters waved hundreds of banners and chanted slogans as they waited to file past Kirchner’s body lying in state. People waited in line to get into the
Casa Rosada The ''Casa Rosada'' (, eng, Pink House) is the office of the president of Argentina. The palatial mansion is known officially as ''Casa de Gobierno'' ("House of Government" or "Government House"). Normally, the president lives at the Quinta de ...
. Starting on the afternoon of 29 October, a massive popular procession accompanied the remains of Néstor Kirchner from Casa Rosada to the metropolitan airport., and then from the airport of
Río Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for " river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, ...
to the cemetery. Kirchner was buried in a private ceremony, attended only by his wife, family, and Venezuelan President
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
, who had remained with the President’s family throughout the mourning period in Argentina.


Reactions


Domestic

Representatives of various parts of the political spectrum and institutions at odds with his political persona expressed condolences over the country’s and the widow’s loss, and solidarity with President Fernández de Kirchner. Estela Barnes de Carlotto, president of
Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo ( es, italic=no, Asociación Civil Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo) is a human rights organization with the goal of finding the children stolen and illegally adopted during the 1976–1983 Argentine military dicta ...
said: "Our country needed this man. We lost someone indispensable."
Pino Solanas Fernando Ezequiel "Pino" Solanas (16 February 1936 – 6 November 2020) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and politician. His films include; '' La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Furnaces)'' (1968), '' Tangos: el exilio de Gardel'' ...
said: "He was a great president, he made an excellent administration. He was one in a million fighter politician." His former cabinet chief Alberto Fernández said: "He’s been the best President of Democracy. I’ve lost a friend, above all differences." CGT Secretary General
Hugo Moyano Hugo Moyano (born January 9, 1944) is an Argentine labour leader who was Secretary General of the CGT, the nation's largest trade union, from 2004 to 2012. A schism developed within the CGT during 2012, and Moyano was elected to head the CGT's dis ...
said "The people will recognize the continuing government effort Kirchner inaugurated in 2003." Emilio Pérsico of the Evita Movement said, "There will be a demonstration to honor Kirchner and to show Cristina that we’re with her, supporting her. In these days we’ll be demonstrating in the streets that we are millions who will replace Kirchner." Argentina declared three days of
national mourning A national day of mourning is a day or days marked by mourning and memorial activities observed among the majority of a country's populace. They are designated by the national government. Such days include those marking the death or funeral of ...
. All Argentinian football league games were postponed until the following week.


International

Many leaders around the world sent condolences to his widow, president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and to the rest of Argentina. ;Supranational bodies Condolences came from the UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-Moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Ministe ...
, the European Union’s president of European Council Herman Van Rompuy and the president of the European Parliament
Jerzy Buzek Jerzy Karol Buzek (born 3 July 1940) is a Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament from Poland. He has served as Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001, since being elected to the European Parliament in 2004, he served as ...
. The OAS underlined his "tireless efforts and dedication towards Human Rights promotion through the hemisphere," while UNASUR declared three days of national mourning in all
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
n countries. The group issued a statement that read: "The death of Néstor Kirchner deprives Latin America of a key leader in the building of an inclusive region ..He was convinced of the unity of Latin American peoples. He fought all his life for profound changes in his country and Latin America, and worked from different agencies for social justice, equity, democracy and integration". ;Heads of state Eight South American Heads of State (
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party ...
of Brazil,
Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique OMCh (; born 1 December 1949) is a Chilean billionaire businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic polit ...
of Chile,
José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (; born 20 May 1935) is a Uruguayan politician, former revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and im ...
of Uruguay, Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia,
Fernando Lugo Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez (; born 30 May 1951) is a Paraguayan politician and laicized Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously he was a Roman Catholic priest and bishop, serving as Bishop of the Dioc ...
of Paraguay,
Evo Morales Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to c ...
of Bolivia,
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
of Venezuela and
Rafael Correa Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado (; born 6 April 1963), known as Rafael Correa, is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as President of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation ...
of Ecuador) traveled to Buenos Aires and many other offered condolences including
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
of the United States, Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...
,
Felipe Calderón Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa (; born 18 August 1962) is a Mexican politician who served as the 63rd president of Mexico from 1 December 2006 to 30 November 2012 and Secretary of Energy during the presidency of Vicente Fox between 2003 ...
of Mexico,
Alan García Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apri ...
of Peru,
Álvaro Colom Álvaro Colom Caballeros (; born 15 June 1951) is a Guatemalan politician who was the President of Guatemala from 2008 to 2012, as well as leader of the social-democratic National Unity of Hope (UNE). Early years Colom was born in Guatemala Ci ...
of Guatemala,
Daniel Ortega José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (; born 11 November 1945) is a Nicaraguan revolutionary and politician serving as President of Nicaragua since 2007. Previously he was leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, first as coordinator of the Junta of Na ...
of Nicaragua,
Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...
of Russia,
Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; born 29 June 1925) is an Italian politician who served as president of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first Italian president to be re-elected to the presidency. Due to his dominant position in Italian politics, some critics ...
of Italy,
Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar oghlu Aliyev ( az, İlham Heydər oğlu Əliyev, ; born 24 December 1961) is the fourth president of Azerbaijan, serving in the post since 31 October 2003. The son and second child of the former Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, ...
of Azerbaijan,
Aníbal Cavaco Silva Aníbal António Cavaco Silva, Order of Christ (Portugal), GCC, Order of Liberty, GColL, Order of Prince Henry, GColIH (; born 15 July 1939) is a Portuguese economist who served as the 19th president of Portugal, in office from 9 March 2006 to 9 ...
of Portugal, Bronisław Komorowski of Poland, Prime Minister
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. ...
of Spain and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez,
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
president Felipe Calderón, President of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
Sebastián Piñera and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega all lauded his contributions to Latin America.
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
and
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
declared three days of national mourning.
Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
declared a day of national mourning. ;Other state reactions President and former Chief of Staff of Brazil,
Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first ...
, expressed her grief and said "Latin America and the whole world is mourning. Kirchner was a great friend of Brazil". Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
described Kirchner as "an advocate for the citizens of Argentina and a leading voice for South American integration." France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs
Bernard Kouchner Bernard Kouchner KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs ...
said: "He was a decisive figure in Argentine history. Argentina lost a statesman who collaborated in the development of his country, its economic recovery and the growth of its international standing ..He was one of the architects of Latin American regional integration." The government of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
issued a statement saying "Kirchner was a good friend of the Chinese people and greatly contributed to the development of the China-Argentina strategic partnership."China Expresses Condolences over Death of Former Argentine President
/ref>


Consequences

Despite not being president or having any official position in the executive branch at the time of his death, Néstor Kirchner was involved in the management of his wife’s government. Moreover, he managed most things personally, rather than delegating tasks to subordinates. As a consequence, his death forced a complete rearrangement of Cristina’s administration: although no ministers were removed, they changed their specific tasks.Un año de la muerte de Kirchner: claves de un punto de inflexión
Julio de Vido Julio Miguel de Vido (born December 26, 1949) is an Argentine politician who was Minister of Planning and Public Investment between 2003 and 2015. Biography De Vido was born in the City of Buenos Aires in 1949. Enrolling at the University of Buen ...
was in charge of negotiating with
Hugo Moyano Hugo Moyano (born January 9, 1944) is an Argentine labour leader who was Secretary General of the CGT, the nation's largest trade union, from 2004 to 2012. A schism developed within the CGT during 2012, and Moyano was elected to head the CGT's dis ...
, Pablo Moyano and the CGT. Moyano admitted that his relation with Néstor Kirchner was easier than with Cristina. The negotiations with the local politicians in the
Greater Buenos Aires Greater Buenos Aires ( es, Gran Buenos Aires, GBA), also known as the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area ( es, Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires, AMBA), refers to the urban agglomeration comprising the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the adj ...
were managed by De Vido,
Amado Boudou Amado Boudou (; born 19 November 1962) is an Argentine economist and politician who served as the Vice President of Argentina from 2011 to 2015. He previously served as Minister of Economy from 2009 to 2011. In August 2018, following a length ...
and Florencio Randazzo. Boudou became a confidante of Cristina, but did not achieve autonomy for negotiations. The 2011 general election had a high number of precandidates. Pre-election polling suggested that voting would be divided between a government candidate, a Peronist candidate and a third one agreed by the UCR and the socialists. The Federal Peronism party considered
Mauricio Macri Mauricio Macri (; born 8 February 1959) is an Argentine businessman and politician who served as the President of Argentina from 2015 to 2019. He has been the leader of the Republican Proposal (PRO) party since its founding in 2005. He previo ...
,
Eduardo Duhalde Eduardo Alberto Duhalde (; born 5 October 1941) is an Argentine Peronist politician who served as the interim President of Argentina from January 2002 to May 2003. He also served as Vice President and Governor of Buenos Aires in the 1990s. Bo ...
,
Alberto Rodríguez Saá Alberto José Rodriguez Saá (born August 21, 1949) is an Argentine lawyer and politician. He is the Governor of San Luis Province. He was presidential candidate for the center-right peronism, Federal Peronism, in 2007 and 2011. The Rodriguez ...
, Mario Das Neves,
Felipe Solá Felipe Solá (born 23 July 1950) is an Argentine agricultural engineer and politician. He previously served as Governor of Buenos Aires Province, from 2002 to 2007, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship under President Alberto Fernández ...
and
Carlos Reutemann Carlos Alberto "Lole" Reutemann (12 April 1942 – 7 July 2021) was an Argentine racing driver who raced in Formula One from to , and later became a politician in his native province of Santa Fe, for the Justicialist Party, and governor o ...
. The UCR had Ricardo Alfonsín,
Julio Cobos Julio César Cleto Cobos (; born 30 April 1955) is an Argentine politician who was the Vice President of Argentina in the administration of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner from 2007 to 2011. He started his political career as member of ...
and Ernesto Sanz. The center-left had
Hermes Binner Hermes Juan Binner (June 5, 1943 − June 26, 2020) was an Argentine physician and a politician. He was Governor of Santa Fe from 2007 to 2011.Pino Solanas Fernando Ezequiel "Pino" Solanas (16 February 1936 – 6 November 2020) was an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and politician. His films include; '' La hora de los hornos (The Hour of the Furnaces)'' (1968), '' Tangos: el exilio de Gardel'' ...
, and Elisa Carrió ran with her own party. Most opposing candidates lost their social appeal after the death of Néstor Kirchner. The death of Kirchner generated as well a rise in the number of ''hawks'' within the government, mainly
Amado Boudou Amado Boudou (; born 19 November 1962) is an Argentine economist and politician who served as the Vice President of Argentina from 2011 to 2015. He previously served as Minister of Economy from 2009 to 2011. In August 2018, following a length ...
, Juan Manuel Abal Medina and the Cámpora.


References


External links

;State Funeral and Popular Procession Photo Selection
The Boston GlobeLa NaciónUrbanphoto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Death and state funeral of Nestor Kirchner Néstor Kirchner 2010 in Argentina Kirchner, Nestor Presidency of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Kirchner, Nestor Kirchner, Nestor