Will Nestor Kirchner’s death leave a power vacuum in Argentina?

The World

Nestor Kirchner, former Argentine president and husband to Argentina’s current leader, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, died suddenly of a heart attack Wednesday. He was 60 years old. Kirchner served as president from 2003-2007, and pulled Argentina out of severe economic crisis. He also encouraged judicial changes that brought hundreds of dictatorship-era figures who had previously benefited from an amnesty to trial. While his wife Cristina Fern-ndez de Kirchner won the presidential election in 2007, analysts say Nestor was the power behind the throne and expected him to run in the up-coming election in 2011.

Mark Jones, Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies at Rice University, talks about what this popular leader’s death means for his country.

Are you with The World?

The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.

When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.