Argentina Court Hands Big Loss to a Former Powerhouse

Argentina's highest court upheld a six-year prison sentence for former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in a ruling Tuesday that permanently banned her from public office over the corruption conviction that found she had directed state contracts to a friend while she was the first lady and president. The explosive Supreme Court ruling left Fernández, Argentina's charismatic yet deeply divisive ex-leader, subject to arrest and sent her supporters pouring into the streets of Buenos Aires, per the AP. They blocked main roads and stormed the offices of two cable networks, Channel 13 and Todos Noticias, that are widely considered critical of the ex-leader, smashing televisions and windows and vandalizing cars. There were no injuries reported.

The court asked Argentina's security ministry to set up a detention center to hold 72-year-old Fernández, who was barred from running in this fall's Buenos Aires legislative elections just days after she launched her campaign. Her defense lawyer Carlos Beraldi said he'd requested Fernández be allowed to serve her sentence in house arrest given her age. Fernández, who dominated Argentine politics for two decades and forged the country's main left-wing populist movement known as Kirchnerism, after her and her husband, former President Néstor Kirchner, rejected the decision, calling the court justices "puppets" of those wielding economic power in the country.

During Fernández's eight years in office (2007-2015), Argentina expanded cash payments to the poor and pioneered major social assistance programs. But her governments funded the unbridled state spending by printing money, bringing Argentina notoriety for massive budget deficits and sky-high inflation. Critics blamed Argentina's years of economic volatility on Fernández's policies, and outrage over successive economic crises and the country's bloated bureaucracy helped vault radical libertarian President Javier Milei to the presidency in late 2023. The ruling dealt a severe blow to Milei's opposition during a crucial midterm election year. He celebrated the ruling, writing on social media: "Justice. Period." (More Argentina stories.)