Cristina Elisabet Fernández de Kirchner, née Fernández, is an Argentine lawyer and politician who served as the 56th President of Argentina from 2007 to 2015, becoming the country's first elected female president. Born on February 19, 1953, in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, she grew up in a middle-class family with Spanish and German heritage. She studied law at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata, graduating as a lawyer and later working as a professor before entering politics. She married Néstor Kirchner in 1975, and together they built a political dynasty in Patagonia, where Néstor served as governor of Santa Cruz Province. Fernández entered national politics alongside her husband, serving as a provincial senator and later a national senator. Following Néstor's election as president in 2003, she became a key figure in his administration, advocating for populist policies aimed at social inclusion and economic redistribution.

As president, Fernández de Kirchner continued and expanded her husband's progressive agenda, implementing policies such as nationalization of key industries, including the pension system and energy sector, and promoting gender equality initiatives. Her tenure was marked by economic challenges, including high inflation and disputes with international creditors during Argentina's sovereign debt crisis, where she publicly denounced hedge fund manager Paul Singer and others for aggressive debt collection tactics. She won re-election in 2011 but faced growing criticism for alleged corruption, media control, and authoritarian tendencies. After leaving office in 2015, she remained influential in Peronist politics, serving as vice president under Alberto Fernández from 2019 to 2023. Her time as vice president was tumultuous, including a failed assassination attempt in 2022 and ongoing legal battles over corruption allegations.

Fernández de Kirchner's political career has been defined by her charismatic oratory, strong support from working-class communities, and conflicts with judicial and media institutions. She has been both praised for advancing women's rights and social welfare and criticized for economic mismanagement and personal enrichment scandals. Post-vice presidency, she continues to wield significant influence within Argentina's left-wing movements while facing multiple legal investigations.