YPF military coup against Yrigoyen backed by, among others, foreign oil interests. YPF was privatized in 1993 and bought by the Spanish firm Repsol S.A. in 1999; the resulting merger produced 'Repsol YPF'. The renationalization of 51% of the firm was initiated in 2012 by President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The government of Argentina eventually agreed to pay $5 billion compensation to Repsol. The company, specializing in the exploration, production, refining and commercialization of petroleum, had its origin in 1907, when oil was discovered near the city of Comodoro Rivadavia in Chubut. Following World War I, oil had become an important
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Argentine claims in the Falkland Islands sovereignty dispute. British Prime minister David Cameron rejected her comments. Relations were also strained by recent oil explorations in the area, and Kirchner threatened to sue Rockhopper Exploration for it. The Falkland Islands celebrated a sovereignty referendum in 2013, where 99.8% voted to remain a British territory, with only three votes against. Kirchner ignored the referendum. When Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis, the initial reactions were mixed. Most of Argentine society cheered it, but the pro-government newspaper "Página/12" published renewed allegations about the Dirty War, and the president of the National