Argentina Bicentennial: A Mixed Story

Two Hundred Years Of Argentina, Seven Years Of Kirchnerism

Since its independence from Spain, Argentina has experienced two British invasions, a series of illegitimate governments, the Peronist movement, a dictatorship that cost 30,000 lives, the Falklands War and a neo-liberal economy during the 1990s followed by a major economic default. Today, as Argentina celebrates its bicentennial anniversary, the political debates in the country are not very different from those faced by its founding fathers. The country still suffers from conflicts between the oligarchy and the poor (many near starvation) which have thwarted President Cristina Fernández’s left-wing political project. It will be interesting to see if Cristina Fernández’s increased popularity following the incredible bicentennial celebrations will help her husband, former president Néstor Kirchner, win a second term in the presidential election next year.

A revolutionary May

May 25th commemorates the date in 1810 when Virreinato del Río de la Plata (Argentina’s former name) refused to continue as a Spanish colony and initiated its revolution. An anniversary provides an opportunity to evaluate the history of a country, draw comparisons, learn from mistakes, and gauge if the country is progressing in the right direction. As Argentina celebrates its bicentennial, some look to the past to evaluate whether Argentina is doing better or worse than when it celebrated the centennial. Others look to the future, particularly to the presidential elections that will take place in 2011. Most media reports from Argentina have acknowledged that the bicentennial celebrations had such a large turnout and were so successfully carried out that the image of Cristina Fernández Kirchner has not only improved, but is likely to help her husband win the presidency once again for their Front for Victory coalition of the Partido Justicialista.

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This analysis was prepared by COHA Research Associate Azul Mertnoff

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