At the beginning of 2012 President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was in its electoral heyday and could even envisage the possibility of a third term. However, the year finished with a huge protest and a general strike, along with a drop in people’s appraisal of the government politics and the image of the President, and an opening struggle for presidential succession. What are the reasons of such a radical change in the political scene in only twelve months? The article
reports on the short term leading events and the main institutional changes of the period. It also analyzes the performance of the executive and legislative branches, presents public opinion data and offers a final assessment on the functioning and the quality of democracy.