An Argentine judge on Tuesday sentenced ex-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to a six-year prison term under house arrest, after a Supreme Court ruling ratified her 2022 corruption conviction. The 72-year-old political powerhouse will stay in her Buenos Aires home under her advanced age and will be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor.
Kirchner, who was president from 2007 to 2015 and then vice president, senator, and first lady, was convicted of running a scheme of bribery that steered public contracts in Patagonia to a close friend. The conviction also prevents her from seeking public office for life a big blow to the Peronist leader whose reach dominated Argentine politics for decades. Kirchner has repeatedly rejected the allegations, saying they are politically motivated.
The court ordered her to go outside only with advance judicial permission and to provide a list of residents and permitted visitors, including doctors, within 48 working days. All other visitors need permission from the court.
Though popularity waned during her time as vice president under Alberto Fernandez, with hyperinflation and economic crisis dogging her tenure, Kirchner has a solid core of hardcore supporters. Outside her home on Tuesday, hundreds showed up, chanting, waving banners, and invoking the name of iconic Peronist Eva Peron. “We will continue fighting for her freedom,” protester Manuel Ortiz said. “She gave everything to the people.
Kirchner’s downfall is reminiscent of other fallen Argentine leaders, including former President Carlos Menem, who was likewise convicted of corruption but spared jail because of parliamentary immunity.
Though her future in court looks grim, Kirchner’s symbolic grip on Argentina’s political left remains strong, particularly among working-class people who continue to attribute past social programs and economic assistance to her.
