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Reuters
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Argentina's ex-President Kirchner, under house arrest, plots political fight-back
BUENOS AIRES, June 23 (Reuters) - On a Buenos Aires residential street, two protesters painted a telling image in colorful strokes: a portrait of a lone woman on her balcony overlooking a mass of people below. The figure was one of Argentina's most prominent politicians in the last two decades - leading opposition leader and former first lady and two-time president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was put under house arrest last week in a six-year sentence for corruption. It means the end of a political career - at least formally - for the 72-year-old, a divisive populist whose big government model is now being dismantled by the "chainsaw" austerity of libertarian President Javier Milei. The sentence also bans Kirchner, who had announced plans to run for Buenos Aires province's legislature, from public office. That second-floor balcony - the one place from which Kirchner can now rally her base due to her city apartment lockdown - is becoming a focal point for supporters on the Peronist left, with her detention putting a spotlight back on her as a symbol of resistance to Milei. "It gives Cristina's leadership political clout that she was losing," said Camila Perochena, a historian at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires. "This gives her extra life." Kirchner's house arrest has brought tens of thousands of protesters into the streets of Buenos Aires in recent days, and injected much-needed energy into her movement, which had been battling internal divisions and disillusionment, especially since losing the 2023 presidential election to Milei. "This puts her right in the center of the political stage," Juan Grabois, a prominent leftist social leader and a close ally of Kirchner, told Reuters. At least in the short term, experts said the corruption sentence linked to roadway contracts would help Kirchner, though longer-term it remains to be seen if she can effectively wield influence without being able to attend rallies and events in person. Last Wednesday, Kirchner was in her home serving house arrest while in the central Plaza de Mayo, her voice boomed from huge loudspeakers before crowds that had marched in downtown Buenos Aires. "We will return, and what's more we will return with more wisdom, more unity, more strength," she told supporters in a pre-recorded message. "From wherever I am, from whatever trench, I will do everything I can to be there with you." Listening in the Plaza was Andrea Albarracin, 35, a member of Kirchner's Peronist Justicialista Party. "I don't hear a Cristina who has been defeated," she said. Maria Teresa Garcia, secretary general of the party, told Reuters that Kirchner would continue to lead because "there isn't another person who can raise her voice like Cristina." Many who gathered in the last few days outside of Kirchner's home repeated her claims that her detention - after an original 2022 sentence when she was vice president was upheld by the Supreme Court this month - was an act of political revenge by the right-wing. "They're coming for Cristina because she represents and epitomizes everything the concentrated powers of this country detest," said supporter Christopher Loyola, who backed the Peronists' big state spending on education, health and science. That big government focus helped Argentina have one of the strongest social safety nets in the region and boosted the public sector, but money printing to sustain it was partly to blame for years of soaring inflation and deep deficits. The night that Kirchner's sentence was upheld, Loyola waited in the cold to show his backing for Kirchner, who while divisive still has some 30% popular support, opens new tab, according to local polls, that gives her influence over the wider Peronist bloc. Last week, large banners outside Kirchner's apartment said "Always with Cristina." Vendors sold T-shirts with Kirchner's face. Supporters danced as a brass band played "Muchachos," Argentina's last soccer World Cup anthem. Yamila Perdomo, 41, a tour guide who had an Argentine flag draped on her back, had caught a glimpse of Kirchner on her balcony waving to supporters. "If this can happen to the most powerful woman in our country, imagine what guarantees regular citizens have," said Perdomo. "We are here in defense of democracy."
Washington Post
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Large crowds protest in support of Argentine ex-President Fernández as she starts house arrest
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Vowing that a conviction on corruption charges and a permanent ban from public office would not end her decades-long political career, Argentina's former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner began serving a six-year sentence under house arrest as tens of thousands of her supporters rallied in the streets. Her detention marked an ignominious turn for one of the most polarizing and influential political leaders on Latin America's left who served one term as Argentina's first lady (2004-2007), two terms as its president (2007-2015) and one term as its powerful vice president (2019–2023), dominating the country's politics for the last two decades. Still today, Fernández represents the face of opposition to radical libertarian President Javier Milei . Polls suggest that she and her left-wing brand of Peronism , Argentina's nationalist populist movement championing workers' rights, retains the support of some 30% of the country. 'We will return, and, what's more, we will return with more wisdom, with more unity, with more strength,' Fernández, 72, told her ardent supporters in a speech recorded from home confinement and broadcast through loudspeakers into the streets of downtown Buenos Aires. The case in which she was first convicted in 2022 found that she defrauded the state in awarding public works contracts to a friendly businessman. She vehemently denies the charges, accusing her opponents of weaponizing the justice system against her. Before the court decision this month , she had been planning to run for a seat in the Buenos Aires provincial legislature. 'The real economic powers know this model has no future; they know it's collapsing, and that's why I'm in prison,' she said in her speech from her second-floor apartment in the southern Constitución neighborhood of the Argentine capital. The scene of huge crowds setting off flares and chanting 'We will return' underscored the sharp divisions in this South American nation that has long been shaped by Fernández, who vastly increased welfare and public employment during her tenure in a dramatic expansion of the state that left Argentina with sky-high inflation and massive deficits. 'We are all here to fight for Cristina's freedom. If they restrict her more, we will do more,' said Gloria Araya, 64, a retiree protesting on Wednesday. The economic shambles she bequeathed her successors helped vault her nemesis , political outsider Milei, to the presidency in late 2023 . Milei has succeeded in his flagship campaign promise of lowering inflation. In May Argentina's monthly inflation rate plunged below 2% for the first time in five years, the government statistics agency reported last week. But while prices have stabilized, the cost of living remains high in a country where wages are comparatively low. Investment has lagged. Many Argentines say they're still waiting to collect on the economic revival that Mieli promised would follow the pain of austerity . Some analysts say that anger over Fernández's claims of political persecution could add fuel to those economic grievances and help rally an otherwise confused opposition to Milei. 'The conviction and sentencing of Cristina is a unifying force for Peronism,' said Sebastián Mazzuca, an Argentine political scientist. 'If the opposition can link this claim that there was some injustice in her trial with concerns over income and purchasing power, they have an agenda.'
Associated Press
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Large crowds protest in support of Argentine ex-President Fernández as she starts house arrest
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Vowing that a conviction on corruption charges and a permanent ban from public office would not end her decades-long political career, Argentina's former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner began serving a six-year sentence under house arrest as tens of thousands of her supporters rallied in the streets. Her detention marked an ignominious turn for one of the most polarizing and influential political leaders on Latin America's left who served one term as Argentina's first lady (2004-2007), two terms as its president (2007-2015) and one term as its powerful vice president (2019–2023), dominating the country's politics for the last two decades. Still today, Fernández represents the face of opposition to radical libertarian President Javier Milei. Polls suggest that she and her left-wing brand of Peronism, Argentina's nationalist populist movement championing workers' rights, retains the support of some 30% of the country. 'We will return, and, what's more, we will return with more wisdom, with more unity, with more strength,' Fernández, 72, told her ardent supporters in a speech recorded from home confinement and broadcast through loudspeakers into the streets of downtown Buenos Aires. The case in which she was first convicted in 2022 found that she defrauded the state in awarding public works contracts to a friendly businessman. She vehemently denies the charges, accusing her opponents of weaponizing the justice system against her. Before the court decision this month, she had been planning to run for a seat in the Buenos Aires provincial legislature. 'The real economic powers know this model has no future; they know it's collapsing, and that's why I'm in prison,' she said in her speech from her second-floor apartment in the southern Constitución neighborhood of the Argentine capital. The scene of huge crowds setting off flares and chanting 'We will return' underscored the sharp divisions in this South American nation that has long been shaped by Fernández, who vastly increased welfare and public employment during her tenure in a dramatic expansion of the state that left Argentina with sky-high inflation and massive deficits. 'We are all here to fight for Cristina's freedom. If they restrict her more, we will do more,' said Gloria Araya, 64, a retiree protesting on Wednesday. The economic shambles she bequeathed her successors helped vault her nemesis, political outsider Milei, to the presidency in late 2023. Milei has succeeded in his flagship campaign promise of lowering inflation. In May Argentina's monthly inflation rate plunged below 2% for the first time in five years, the government statistics agency reported last week. But while prices have stabilized, the cost of living remains high in a country where wages are comparatively low. Investment has lagged. Many Argentines say they're still waiting to collect on the economic revival that Mieli promised would follow the pain of austerity. Some analysts say that anger over Fernández's claims of political persecution could add fuel to those economic grievances and help rally an otherwise confused opposition to Milei. 'The conviction and sentencing of Cristina is a unifying force for Peronism,' said Sebastián Mazzuca, an Argentine political scientist. 'If the opposition can link this claim that there was some injustice in her trial with concerns over income and purchasing power, they have an agenda.'
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands march in Buenos Aires as ex-president Kirchner starts house arrest
By Nicolás Misculin BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of Argentines marched in the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday, banging drums and chanting in a show of support for ex-president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as she started a six-year sentence under house arrest for corruption. Kirchner, a two-term president from 2007-2015, is the country's most prominent politician in recent decades, though her leftist brand of populism sharply divides opinion. She is the nemesis of current libertarian President Javier Milei. Supporters from her Peronist movement took to the streets with flares, giant posters with her image, and banners saying "Always With Cristina", a reflection of how she retains popular backing with her core supporter base. Kirchner, 72, claims the allegations against her are politically driven. "It was what they needed to get rid of her, so she wouldn't be in the (election) running. They knew she could beat them," said Laura Abal, 66, a pedicurist who took part in the march, referring to Kirchner's foiled plans to run as a local lawmaker. Kirchner has some 20% voter support, polls show, though is opposed by many who recall her interventionist policies. She still holds huge sway over the opposition Peronists, Argentina's dominant political bloc in the last half century. Argentina's Supreme Court last week upheld a 2022 conviction against Kirchner related to a fraud scheme involving public projects in the southern Patagonia region. That also included a lifetime ban from holding public political office. Some analysts say the detention could, though boost her image by making her a political martyr, adding she could potentially exercise influence from her Buenos Aires apartment where the judge ordered that she serve out her sentence due to her age. "Can I go out on my balcony or not?" Fernández humorously asked on Wednesday on the social network X, a reference to how she could rouse the crowds in the streets below in potential violation of court orders not to cause disruption. Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni on Wednesday avoided crowing over the sentence, though hailed the fact that "justice" had prevailed. "The arrest of a former president is not pleasant for any democracy, although, of course, it is a source of joy that justice exists and puts some things right," he said.
Reuters
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Thousands march in Buenos Aires as ex-president Kirchner starts house arrest
BUENOS AIRES, June 18 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Argentines marched in the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday, banging drums and chanting in a show of support for ex-president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as she started a six-year sentence under house arrest for corruption. Kirchner, a two-term president from 2007-2015, is the country's most prominent politician in recent decades, though her leftist brand of populism sharply divides opinion. She is the nemesis of current libertarian President Javier Milei. Supporters from her Peronist movement took to the streets with flares, giant posters with her image, and banners saying "Always With Cristina", a reflection of how she retains popular backing with her core supporter base. Kirchner, 72, claims the allegations against her are politically driven. "It was what they needed to get rid of her, so she wouldn't be in the (election) running. They knew she could beat them," said Laura Abal, 66, a pedicurist who took part in the march, referring to Kirchner's foiled plans to run as a local lawmaker. Kirchner has some 20% voter support, polls show, though is opposed by many who recall her interventionist policies. She still holds huge sway over the opposition Peronists, Argentina's dominant political bloc in the last half century. Argentina's Supreme Court last week upheld a 2022 conviction against Kirchner related to a fraud scheme involving public projects in the southern Patagonia region. That also included a lifetime ban from holding public political office. Some analysts say the detention could, though boost her image by making her a political martyr, adding she could potentially exercise influence from her Buenos Aires apartment where the judge ordered that she serve out her sentence due to her age. "Can I go out on my balcony or not?" Fernández humorously asked on Wednesday on the social network X, a reference to how she could rouse the crowds in the streets below in potential violation of court orders not to cause disruption. Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni on Wednesday avoided crowing over the sentence, though hailed the fact that "justice" had prevailed. "The arrest of a former president is not pleasant for any democracy, although, of course, it is a source of joy that justice exists and puts some things right," he said.
