What is the nature of kirchnerismo? The experience of the period encompassed by the presi-dencies of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner have generated greater controversy regarding its characterization. The article critically reviews the analysis that Ernesto Laclau and Guillermo O´Donnell made of kirchneris-mo through their respective conceptual models of populism and delegative democracy.Fil: Peruzzotti, Carlos Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Torcuato di Tella; Argentin