Career
Kirchner started his career at the administration of Santa Cruz after the third military junta had fallen in 1982, because of the defeat of Argentina’s war machine at the Malvinas and the beginning of restoration of the state’s democracy.
Kirchner gradually earned not only money but also political capital. He became the head of Rio Gallegos’s administration in 1987; he was elected as the governor of Santa Cruz in 1991, end he was later reelected in 1995 and 1999. Oil is extracted in his province and hundreds of millions of dollars are earned. This money Kirchner deposited at interest with Swiss banks. Though only a little sum of these deposits was spent, people in this region didn't know what budget gap was, salaries and social benefits were given in time, there was almost no unemployment.
In 1998 when the next president election was to be held, Nestor Kirchner was already popular and had the say-so among the nation. That’s why Nestor opposed Carlos Menem, his main rival, in the election. Menem collected 24.36 % of votes in the first round, while Kirchner got 21.99 %. But one week before the tug of war, Kirchner had evident advantage according to public opinion polls; it was 58.8% of votes to 21.7%. Menem officially claimed about his withdrawal from the elections. And according to the Constitution of the Argentine Republic Nestor Kirchner was proclaimed as the head of the state on April 25, 2003.