Former Argentine president undergoes major surgery

A wall with signs of support for Nestor Kirchner outside the hospital where he was treated.

(CNN) -- The former president of Argentina underwent major surgery Sunday on his right carotid artery, the country's official news agency reported.

Nestor Kirchner, the husband of current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, entered the hospital on Sunday, according to a statement by Dr. Marcelo Ballesteros, deputy director of the Argentine Presidential Medical Unit.

"Everything is fine," the Telam news agency quoted Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana as saying after surgery was completed. "The news is good."

Ballesteros said the surgery was finished just after 9 p.m. local time (7 p.m. ET) and that Kirchner "will remain in intensive care with constant monitoring," according to Telam.

Kirchner, 59, was president of Argentina from May 2003 to December 2007. His wife succeeded him. He is now a deputy in the lower house of Congress and is expected to be a presidential candidate in 2011.

Kirchner is credited with leading Argentina out of financial and political chaos following the country's 2001-02 economic collapse. He has been a outspoken critic of Wall Street, the U.S. government and the International Monetary Fund.

CNN's Brian Byrnes contributed to this report

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