Argentina's former President, Nestor Kirchner, has died after suffering a sudden heart attack, doctors say.

Mr Kirchner, 60, who had been operated on in September for heart problems, died in the southern Argentine city of El Calafate, local media reported.

His wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, is the current president of the country.

Mr Kirchner served as president from 2003 to 2007, and was being tipped to stand for election again in 2011.

The couple had faced some criticism within Argentina for appearing to get around presidential term limits by stepping aside for each other.

A lawyer by training, Mr Kirchner served as mayor of Rio Gallegos, his hometown in Argentina's Patagonian south, before becoming governor of the wider region - the oil and gas-rich province of Santa Cruz.

He was elected president after Argentina had seen a series of presidents come and go following a major financial crisis in 2001.

Health issues

Mr Kirchner died with his wife by his side after being admitted to hospital in El Calafate in the early hours of Wednesday morning, reports said.


The Kirchners were a dominant force in Argentine politics...