Christina Fernandez de Kirchner, the former president of Argentina and one of the nation's most biased politicians, was sentenced to prison on Tuesday, and was taken from public office after the Supreme Court upheld her corruption conviction.
The ruling is likely to deepen the country's political tensions, and comes after Mrs. Kirchner, the target of an assassination attempt three years ago, announced plans for a political comeback.
Supporters blocked Buenos Aires, the main highway around the capital, ahead of the court's decision against Mrs. Kirchner, the left-leaning, who repeatedly clashed with Argentine right-wing president Javier Miley.
The Supreme Court refused to appeal by Mrs. Kirchner and consolidated a six-year sentence, which was taken over by a lower court that found fraudulent states during his two terms as president, between 2007 and 2015.
Still, Mrs. Kirchner, 72, is unlikely to serve important prison time, as Argentine law often allows more than 70 people to arrest their homes. The lower court will determine whether Mrs. Kirchner will return home.
Andres Gill Dominguez, a constitutional professor at the University of Buenos Aires, allowed the former president to be held behind a police bar for several days, until a judge approved his home detention.
For over 30 years, Mrs. Kirchner, a fixture of Argentine politics, remains a divisive figure. While many of the countries view her presidency as synonymous with economic mismanagement and corruption, she continues to order a loyal foundation to trust her in a vast social program.
Mrs. Kirchner, who was vice president from 2019 to 2023, also faces numerous charges of corruption. She was convicted in 2022 for piloting a Southern State public road contract with a family friend and a business associate.
Mrs. Kirchner accused the charges of being politically motivated and accused the judicial author of weaponizing the judiciary to curb her influence.
The court held that the plan began under her husband and predecessor Nester Kirchner, and continued between her two presidential terms. He was governor of Southern Santa Cruz and served as president from 2003 to 2007. Kirchner passed away in 2010.
Since 2024, she has led the Rightist Party, the main opposition to Miley, a populist and nationalist movement that shaped much of Argentina's modern political history, and the greatest political platform of Peronism.
Miley, along with Mrs. Kirchner and her husband, frequently denounced years of economic mismanagement and systematic corruption, leading the country into a downward economic spiral. Miley took office in 2023, pledging to cut public spending and overhaul the Argentinean nation's heavy economy.
Mrs. Kirchner recently announced that she is running for a seat in the Buenos Aires provincial legislative assembly this year. She would have been a heavy favorite, and Wind would have given her immunity from serving her sentence.
“Cursal is not a political category,” Mrs. Kirchner told supporters on Monday, preparing for a decision from the Argentina Supreme Court. “A week ago, the devil only announced his candidacy to be released.”
She characterized her efforts to incarcerate her as a way to calm her criticism of Mairi's right-wing economic policy, including broad austerity measures.
“Now, throw me into jail,” she said Monday. “Do you really believe this will fix something? I might be behind the bar, but people will get worse by that day.”
At the 2022 trial of Mrs. Kirchner, supporters gathered outside their apartments in Buenos Aires every day to show solidarity.
That September, a man at the entrance to her building pointed to a pistol loaded into her head at close range. The weapon was packed and she was not injured. The accused gunman and the other two are in custody and face trial.
The former president faces several other legal issues, including accusations of money laundering, coordination of corruption programs, including public works, and conspiring with Iran to conceal a suspicious role in the bombing of Buenos Aires Jewish Community Centre, which killed 85 people.
