Cristina’s victory
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s re-election marked a historic occasion in Argentina due to the wide margin of her election victory, unseen since the return of democracy in the 1980s.
The head of state achieved an overwhelming victory, gathering more than half of the votes-35% more than her nearest opponent. She also won in 23 of 24 Argentinean provinces and obtained control of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate through her political allies. In addition to becoming the first Argentinean woman to be re-elected president, she heads the Peronist party, which will have been in power for 12 years after her new term ends.
The magnitude of this win recognizes the economic recovery the country experienced during the presidencies of the late Nestor Kirchner and his widow, Cristina, as well as the political stability felt during those periods.
The trials of the military dictatorship’s oppressors, the equal marriage law, the universal child allowance and public services subsidies are other main aspects that contributed to the voter support the governing party obtained.
Nevertheless, the opposition’s inability to forge an electoral alliance that could threaten the president’s re-election hopes should also be taken into account.
On the other hand, growing poverty and a lack of public safety are two important issues that should be addressed in this new term. At the same time, within the economic stability, there are foreseeable and unforeseeable issues, such as the exchange rate, which still need to be resolved.
However, the biggest challenge for Fernandez de Kirchner is the authoritarian temptation -within a democracy- that comes from the concentration of power she just obtained. Her government has had very little tolerance and strongly clashed with media outlets critical of her administration. We hope Sunday’s election results are the start of a second term where the interests of Argentineans are the priority.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s re-election marked a historic occasion in Argentina due to the wide margin of her election victory, unseen since the return of democracy in the 1980s.
The head of state achieved an overwhelming victory, gathering more than half of the votes -35% more than her nearest opponent. She also won in 23 of 24 Argentinean provinces and obtained control of both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate through her political allies. In addition to becoming the first Argentinean woman to be re-elected president, she heads the Peronist party, which will have been in power for 12 years after her new term ends.
The magnitude of this win recognizes the economic recovery the country experienced during the presidencies of the late Nestor Kirchner and his widow, Cristina, as well as the political stability felt during those periods.
The trials of the military dictatorship’s oppressors, the equal marriage law, the universal child allowance and public services subsidies are other main aspects that contributed to the voter support the governing party obtained.
Nevertheless, the opposition’s inability to forge an electoral alliance that could threaten the president’s re-election hopes should also be taken into account.
On the other hand, growing poverty and a lack of public safety are two important issues that should be addressed in this new term. At the same time, within the economic stability, there are foreseeable and unforeseeable issues, such as the exchange rate, which still need to be resolved.
However, the biggest challenge for Fernandez de Kirchner is the authoritarian temptation-within a democracy-that comes from the concentration of power she just obtained. Her government has had very little tolerance and strongly clashed with media outlets critical of her administration. We hope Sunday’s election results are the start of a second term where the interests of Argentineans are the priority.
Argentina’s president obtained an unusual accumulation of power.
La Opinión/ImpreMedia
