He has dealt with corruption, the courts and army officers, but Néstor Kirchner's biggest challenge is still pending.

Mario Canseco

Six months ago, Néstor Kirchner was unknown to many outside Argentina's Santa Cruz province. Less than 100 days after taking office as the eight president since democracy was re-instated in the South American country, Kirchner is becoming a household name after a barrage of sweeping reforms and huge approval ratings.

Such a good start was not expected for a politician who got just 22 per cent of the vote in the presidential election. Public opinion polls showed Argentines were definitely not going to elect former president Carlos Menem again, and the man who ruled the country from 1989 to 1999 decided to withdraw from the scheduled run-off. A lingering anti-Menem feeling boosted Kirchner's entrance into the Casa Rosada.

The 53-year-old Kirchner is now affectionately dubbed as "Hurricane K". His reforms began with the retirement of armed forces commanders, and reached a high point when the president suggested impeachment as a way to deal with Supreme Court justices.

Many saw Court president Julio Nazareno as an obstacle for true justice, because of his close ties to Menem. 83.5 per cent of respondents to a May poll by Ricardo Rouvier y Asociados concurred with Kirchner, asking magistrates to voluntarily step down. The ensuing war of words ended with Nazareno's resignation.

Kirchner does not plan to substitute Menem's cronies with his own picks, rather opting to limit his constitutional right to propose future members of the Court by establishing consultations with civic and academic organizations.

Next in Kirchner's list was a special intervention to revamp Argentina's Integral Medical Assistance Program (PAMI). An audit showed that the PAMI—which carries an annual budget of $900 million U.S.—was an extremely corrupt institution, where "ghost" employees, illegal kickbacks, silence and impunity were rampant. The president vowed to eliminate these problems, and bring stability to the country's foremost relief institution.

There is one particular assignment that might make Kirchner even more popular—dealing with the countless misdeeds committed during the military dictatorship in Argentina. The process began long before Kirchner took office, with the arrest of Ricardo Miguel Cavallo, a former army officer suspected of human rights violations.

Three years ago, Cavallo was living in Mexico under a different name and working as the director of the state-administered National Vehicle Registry (RENAVE). A report in Mexican newspaper Reforma exposed his real identity and prompted his capture. Now Spanish justice Baltasar Garzón—who failed in his attempt to try Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet—will put Cavallo on the stand for crimes committed against Spanish citizens.

There are many more officers who might share Cavallo's fate. Kirchner is not opposed to trying those who abused power during the 1976-1983 dictatorship, and 64 per cent of respondents to a recent poll by Equis agree with his stance.

Still, the biggest task for the president is turning the economy around. The crisis that rocked the country in 2000 and 2001 has left persistent scars, particularly a 21.5 per cent unemployment rate. Kirchner spent some time with United States president George W. Bush this week, looking for support in pending negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

So far, Kirchner's high approval ratings show he has passed the first tests. Salvaging Argentina's dreadful financial situation might determine whether the "hurricane" is here to stay, or turns into a "depression."

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