Alberto Fernández criticizes Cristina Kirchner over IMF decisions

Former Argentine President Alberto Fernández has reignited political tensions by criticizing his former Vice President, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. In a recent interview on the podcast Sistema with Joaco Santos, Fernández claimed that if he had followed Kirchner’s economic advice, particularly regarding the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Argentine economy “would have exploded into a thousand pieces.”

Fernández defended his administration’s decision to reach an agreement with the IMF, arguing that failing to do so would have resulted in a default on $19 billion in payments and left the country isolated from the global financial system. He characterized the relationship between the presidency and the vice presidency during his term (2019–2023) as difficult, noting that he faced constant pressure from Kirchnerist officials to subordinate his decisions to her views.

He remarked that while Kirchner was a highly influential political leader, her vision often clashed with his own. Fernández suggested that the political friction could have been mitigated if both leaders had more clearly understood their respective constitutional roles, stating, “The mere fact that they ask you to obey the Vice President means something is wrong.”