Alberto Ángel Fernández (Latin American Spanish:[alˈβeɾtofeɾˈnandes]ⓘ; born 2 April 1959) is an Argentine politician, lawyer, and academic who served asPresident of Argentina from 2019 to 2023. He was also theChief of the Cabinet of Ministers from 2003 to 2008. His tenure as Cabinet Chief remains the longest since the post was created in 1994.
A member of theJusticialist Party,[1] a Peronist party, Fernández was the party's candidate for the2019 presidential election under the leftistFrente de Todos alliance and defeated incumbent presidentMauricio Macri with 48% of the vote. His political position has been described as centrist.[2][3] The first two years of his presidency was limited by theCOVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, during which he imposed strictlockdown measures to suppress the spread of the disease,[4] anda debt crisis inherited from his predecessor.[5] While the economy recovered in 2021–22,[6] inflation rose to 100% (the highest since 1991).[7] His approval ratings have been constantly low throughout his presidency, only in few certain occasions over 50% approval rate, with disapproval ratings from 60% to 80%.[8][9]
According to British newspaperThe Economist, Fernández was considered "a president without a plan", and his presidency to be a "weak administration",[10][11]. In April 2023, Fernández announced that he decided to not seek reelection to the presidency in the2023 presidential election.[12] He was succeeded byJavier Milei on 10 December 2023.[13] Leaving office with a disapproval rate of around 80%,[14][15][16] Fernández is arguably seen as the worst president in Argentine history.[17]
Fernández was born inBuenos Aires, the son of Celia Pérez and her first husband. Separated from the latter, Celia (sister of the personal photographer ofJuan Domingo Perón) married Judge Carlos Pelagio Galíndez (son of a Senator of theRadical Civic Union).[18] Alberto Fernández, who barely knew his biological father, considers Pelagio to be his father.[18][19]
Fernández attended theUniversity of Buenos AiresFaculty of Law. He graduated at the age of 24, and later became a professor ofcriminal law. He entered public service as an adviser toDeliberative Council of Buenos Aires and theArgentine Chamber of Deputies. He became deputy director of Legal Affairs of theEconomy Ministry, and in this capacity served as chief Argentine negotiator at theGATTUruguay Round. Nominated by newly elected PresidentCarlos Menem to serve asSuperintendent 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 toMercosur andALADI oninsurance 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.[20] During this time he became politically close to formerBuenos Aires Province GovernorEduardo Duhalde.[21]
A new system of variable taxes on agricultural exports led to the2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector, during which Fernández acted as the government's chief negotiator. The negotiations failed, however, and following Vice PresidentJulio Cobos' surprise, tie-breaking vote against the bill in the Senate, Fernández resigned on 23 July 2008.[24]
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 withSanta Cruz GovernorAlicia Kirchner, sister-in-law of the former Kirchner.[29][30]
About a month later, seeking to broaden his appeal to moderates, Fernández struck a deal withSergio 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 theChamber of Deputies in exchange for dropping out of the presidential race and offering his support.[31] Fernández also earned the endorsement of theGeneral Confederation of Labor, receiving their support in exchange for promising that he will boost the economy, and that there will be no labor reform.[32]
On 11 August 2019, Fernández won first place in the2019 primary elections, earning 47.7% of the vote, compared to incumbent PresidentMauricio Macri's 31.8%.[33] 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 ofdefaulting on the national debt.[34]
President-elect Fernández meets with outgoing PresidentMacri following national elections that took place the previous day
In the 27 Octobergeneral 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 aballotage.[35] 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 carryingBuenos 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.
His first legislative initiative, the Social Solidarity and Productive Recovery Bill, was passed byCongress on 23 December.[37] The bill includes tax hikes onforeign currency purchases,agricultural exports, wealth, and car sales - as well astax incentives for production. Amid the worstrecession in nearly two decades, it provided a 180-dayfreeze onutility rates, bonuses for the nation'sretirees andUniversal Allocation per Child beneficiaries, andfood cards to two million of Argentina's poorest families. It also gave the president additional powers torenegotiate debt terms – with Argentina seeking to restructure its US$100 billion debt with privatebondholders and US$45 billion borrowed by Macri from theInternational Monetary Fund.[37] As the capital controls stayed in effect and with no prospect of being removed, the country was degraded fromemerging market to standalone market byMSCI.[38]
Argentinadefaulted 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.[47]
TheInternational Monetary Fund reported that theCOVID-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.[48][49][50]
On 4 August, Fernández reached an accord with the biggestcreditors on terms for arestructuring of $65bn in foreignbonds, after a breakthrough in talks that had at times looked close to collapse since the country's ninth debtdefault in May.[51]
On 22 September, as part of theeconomic 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.[52][53] Investment went down 38% from the previous year.[52][53] The poverty rate rose to 42% in the second half of 2020, the highest since 2004.[54]Child poverty reached the 57.7% of minors of 14 years.[54]
On 31 December 2019, Fernández announced that he would send a bill in 2020 to discuss thelegalization of abortion, ratified his support for its approval, and expressed his wish for "sensible debate".[55] However, in June 2020, he stated that he was "attending to more urgent matters" (referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as thedebt restructuring), and that "he'll send the bill at some point".[56] In November 2020, Fernández'slegal secretary,Vilma Ibarra, confirmed that the government would be sending anew bill for the legalization of abortion to the National Congress that month.[57] The Executive sent the bill, alongside another bill oriented towards women's health care (the "1000 Days Plan"), on 17 November 2020.[58] The bill was passed by the Senate, legalizing abortion in Argentina, on 30 December 2020.[59]
On 1 March, he also announced a restructuring of theFederal Intelligence Agency (AFI), including the publications of its accounts - which had been made secret by Macri in a 2016 decree.[60][61] The AFI had been criticized for targeting public figures for political purposes.[60]
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 theCongress, 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.[62][63]
On 4 September 2020, Fernández signed aNecessity and Urgency Decree (Decreto 721/2020) establishing a 1% employment quota for trans andtravesti people in thenational public sector. The measure had been previously debated in theChamber of Deputies as various prospective bills.[64] 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 2012Gender Identity Law.[65]
On 20 July 2021, Fernández signed another Necessity and Urgency Decree (Decreto 476/2021) mandating the National Registry of Persons (RENAPER) to allow athird gender option on allnational identity cards andpassports, marked as an "X". The measure applies to non-citizen permanent residents who possess Argentine identity cards as well.[66] In compliance with the 2012 Gender Identity Law, this made Argentina one of the few countries in the world tolegally recognize non-binary gender on all official documentation.[67][68]
On 12 November 2020 Fernández signed a decree legalizing the self-cultivation and regulating the sales and subsidized access ofmedical cannabis, expanding upon a 2017 bill that legalized the use and research of the plant and its derivatives.[69] In June 2019, during his presidential campaign, he had signaled his intention to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, but not other types of drugs.[70]
During his administration,Argentina's relationship with Brazil became somewhat strained.[71] Brazilian presidentJair Bolsonaro refused to attend Fernández's inauguration, accusing him of wanting to create a "greatBolivarian homeland" on the border and of preparing to provoke aflight of capital and companies into Brazil.[72] 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 ofMercosur.[73]
U.S. PresidentDonald 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 fordictatorships and leaders in the region, whether it beMaduro,Correa orMorales."[74]
Under Fernández, Argentina has retired in theLima Group formed by North and South American nations to address thecrisis in Venezuela, after not subscribing to any of the Group's statements and resolutions.[75] Argentina voted in favor of the United Nations resolution to back the continuity of theUN Human Rights Office report onhuman rights violations in Venezuela.[76] Under Fernández, Argentina withdrew recognition ofJuan Guaidó as interim President of Venezuela.[77] In January 2020, the Fernández administration revokedElisa Trotta Gamus credentials, who was Guaidó's envoy to Argentina and whose representation had been approved by the Macri administration.[78] However, Fernández also refused to recognize Maduro's envoy Stella Lugo's credentials and Foreign MinisterFelipe Solá asked her to return toCaracas.[79][80]
Alberto Fernández questioned the conclusions theOrganization of American States that the reelection ofEvo Morales was unconstitutional forelectoral fraud. Fernández's government recognized Morales as the legitimatePresident of Bolivia, and granted him asylum in Argentina in December 2019.[81][82] On 9 November 2020, withLuis Arce's victory in2020, 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.[83]
In January 2020, Fernández traveled to Israel for his first presidential trip abroad. There he paid respects to the victims of theHolocaust and maintained a bilateral meeting with Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu who thanked him for keepingHezbollah branded as a terrorist organization, a measure taken by former PresidentMauricio Macri.[84][85]
Regarding Argentina's strained relations withIran, Fernández publicly defended theMemorandum of understanding between Argentina and Iran,[86] although critical of this prior to taking office.[87] 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."[86][88]
In February 2022, Russiainvaded Ukraine in a major escalation of theRusso-Ukrainian War. Fernández condemned the invasion and called on Russia to end military actions in Ukraine.[94][95] At the UN, Argentina voted to condemn the Russian invasion and demanded a full withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine.[96] In July 2022, Fernández stated further support to Ukraine in a phone conversation with Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy, to whom he promised to deliver more humanitarian aid to Ukraine.[97] Fernández rejectedsanctions against Russia and did not want tosend weapons to Ukraine.[98][99]
In September 2023, Fernández condemnedAzerbaijan for the blockade of theLachin corridor and urged the international community to "act preemptively" to avoid "new persecutions" of ethnicArmenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.[100][101]
The announcement of the lockdown by Fernández was generally well received, although there were concerns with its economic impact.[102]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Fernandez's government announced a country-wide lockdown, in effect from 20 March until 31 March, later extended until 12 April.[103][104] 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.[105]
Responses to the outbreak have includedrestrictions on commerce and movement, closure of borders, and the closure of schools and educational institutions.[106] 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.[107][108] Fernandez later announced a 700 billion pesos (US$11.1 billion) stimulus package, worth 2% of the country's GDP.[109][110][107] After announced a mandatory quarantine to every person that returned to Argentina from highly affected countries,[111][112] the government closed its borders, ports, and suspended flights.[106][113]
On 23 March, Fernández asked the Chinese presidentXi Jinping for 1,500ventilators as Argentina had only 8,890 available.[114][115]
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.[116] Because banks were excluded in the list of businesses that were considered essential in Fernandez's lockdown decree, they remained closed until theCentral Bank announced banks would open during a weekend starting on 3 April.[117]
Due to Argentina's notoriously low level ofbanking penetration, many Argentines, particularly retirees, do not possess bank accounts and are used to withdraw funds and pensions in cash.[118] 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.[119][120][121][122]
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.[123] 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.[124] Schools were closed for over a year, and it is estimated that 1.5 million of kids abandoned school, 13% of the total.[125]
Despite the government's hard lockdown policy, Fernández has been harshly criticized[126] 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,[127] and holding social gatherings with union leaders.[128]
Fernández receiving the first dose of theSputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 on 21 January 2021
On 3 September, despite most local governments still enforcing strict lockdown measures, Fernández stated that "there is no lockdown",[129] and that such thoughts had "been instilled by the opposition", as part of a political agenda.[130] Fernández eased some lockdown measures in the Greater Buenos Aires on 6 November 2020, shifting to a "social distancing" phase.[131][132]
On 21 January 2021, Fernández became the first Latin American leader to be inoculated against the disease via the recently approvedGam-COVID-Vac (better known as Sputnik V).[133][134] On 7 December 2021, Fernández received hisbooster dose of the vaccine.[135]
Ginés González García was forced to resign as Health Minister on 19 February 2021[136] after it was revealed he provided preferential treatment for theCOVID-19 vaccine to hisclose friends, including journalistHoracio Verbitsky and other political figures. He was succeeded by the second in chargeCarla Vizzotti. The revelation was met with wide national condemnation from supporters and opposition, as Argentina had at the time received only 1.5 million[137] doses of vaccine for its population of 40 million.[138]
Fernández tested positive for the COVID-19 on 2 April 2021 having a "light fever".[139]
On 22 March 2021, Fernández was elected by the national congress of theJusticialist Party as the party's new national chairman, succeedingJosé Luis Gioja.[140] Fernández ran unopposed, heading theUnidad y Federalismo list, which received the support of diverse sectors in the Peronist movement, includingLa Cámpora.[141]
Confirming the trend of that year's primary elections, the Frente de Todos suffered major losses in theNovember 2021 legislative elections. The FDT lost its majority in theSenate (the first time in nearly 40 years that Peronists lost control of the upper house), and the oppositionJuntos por el Cambio coalition gained the upper hand in traditional peronist strongholds, such asLa Pampa andSanta Cruz. Observers attributed the loss to the widespread anger over high inflation and rising poverty.[142][143] 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.[144][145]
On 9 June 2021, Fernández was at a meeting with business leaders alongside Spanish Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez at theCasa 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 diplomatOctavio Paz, although it had originated from lyrics by local musician and personal friendLitto Nebbia. Faced with the negative backlash to his comments, on the same day Fernández apologized on Twitter[146] and the next day sent a letter to the director of theNational Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI), clarifying his comments.[147]
In December 2022, Fernandez sparked a battle with theSupreme 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 toBuenos 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 mayorHoracio 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.[150]
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.[151][152][153] Tweets show him responding to other users with expletives such as "pelotudo" (Argentinian slang for "asshole"),[154][155] "pajero" ("wanker"),[156][152] and "hijo de puta" ("son of a bitch");[157][158] he also called presidential candidateJosé Luis Espert "Pajert", aword play between his last name and the Argentine slang for "wanker".[155] 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".[159][160]
In June 2020, he told journalistCristina Pérez to "go read theConstitution", after being questioned about his attempts to install a government-designated administration in the Vicentín agricultural conglomerate.[161]
In a 2017 interview for theNetflix mini-seriesNisman: The Prosecutor, the President, and the Spy, Fernández stated that "To this day, I doubt that [Nisman] committed suicide";[162] 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."[163] He was referring toAlberto Nisman, a prosecutor investigating Fernández's vice presidentCristina Fernández de Kirchner for her suspected cover-up of Iran's participation in the 1994AMIA 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.[164] Nisman wasfound dead in his apartment on 18 January 2015, only hours before he was scheduled to present his report to Congress.[165]
Alberto Fernández was invited by theNational Electoral Council of Venezuela to be an observer of the2024 Venezuelan presidential election. Before leaving he was interviewed byRadio 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".[166] 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.[166]
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 byInfobae.[167][168] He has also been accused of "sexual violence" as he forced Yáñez into having an abortion in 2016.[169] On 14 August 2024, Fernández was indicted on charges of domestic abuse against Yáñez.[170]
Fernández married Marcela Luchetti, a fellowUniversity of Buenos Aires law student, in 1993.[171] They separated in 2005.[172] Fernández and Luchetti have a single child, Tani Fernández Luchetti (born 1994)[173] known in Argentina for being adrag performer andcosplayer who goes by the stage name Dyhzy.[174][175]
From 2014 to 2024, Fernández was in a relationship with journalist and stage actressFabiola Yáñez, who fulfilled the role ofFirst Lady of Argentina during Fernández's presidency.[176] The couple owns three dogs:Dylan[177] (named afterBob Dylan, whom Fernández has praised and cited as an inspiration[178]) and two of Dylan's puppies, Prócer[179] and Kaila.[180] On 23 September 2021, the presidential office's medical unit announced Yáñez was expecting her first child.[181] Yáñez and Fernández's son, Francisco Fernández Yáñez, was born on 11 April 2022 at Sanatorio Otamendi, in Buenos Aires.[182][183] On 6 August 2024, Yáñez accused Fernández ofdomestic 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.[184] On 14 August, the Argentine federal prosecutor's office requested the indictment of Alberto Fernandez for "assault and battery with aggravating circumstances".[170]
^"Elecciones 2019".argentina.gob.ar (in Spanish). Dirección Nacional Electoral.Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved4 February 2023.
^"Escrutinio Definitivo"(PDF).mininterior.gov.ar (in Spanish). Subsecretaría de Asuntos Institucionales. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 30 March 2018. Retrieved4 February 2023.
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