AGE: 55
OCCUPATION: President of Argentina, former First Lady of Argentina
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0
PRO: Called the "Clintons of the South," Cristina and husband, Nestor, are center-left Peronists, who swept to victory last fall on a comparatively mild populist message and promises to extend the initiatives of Nestor's administration. Fernandez is the first woman president elected in Argentina.
CON: Allegations of an illegal campaign donation from Venezuela's Bush-bashing Hugo Chavez have hurt the Kirchners' overtures to the U.S., despite their denials of wrongdoing. Condoleezza Rice skipped Argentina on a recent South American tour. And President Kirchner hasn't been able to end the farmers' strike that's halted the country's grain exports and bared supermarket shelves.